All's Well That Ends Well, Right?
by emilyjasmine
Summary: When Rumple refuses to help Emma and Hook in their quest to get back to Storybrooke, Emma has to come up with a new plan...working at the Evil Queen's castle. Join Emma as she faces the highs and lows of working for the woman she both loves and hates and how will it affect everyone's future as she changes the past?
1. Chapter 1

_All's Well That Ends Well, Right?_

 _An Emma Swan and Regina Mills fanfic;_

 _By emilyjasmine;_

 _Disclaimer – I own nothing but the plot;_

 _I hadn't quite intended on writing something else so soon after Back to Storybrooke, but I got a request from the lovely MSAllySomereva for an alternate story to when Emma and Hook go back in time and make it SwanQueen central and I couldn't refuse! Also a huge thanks to her for checking over this first chapter for me!_

 _Now, sit back and relax, and enjoy the ups and downs and struggles Emma faces in the past and the journey she has to take in order to get home, but as always, it doesn't go as smoothly as planned._

So, getting pulled through another portal was not the best thing that had happened to Emma Swan. Being joined by Captain Hook of all people was also not desirable. Yet the biggest problem she currently had, worse than being back in the Enchanted Forest with her current companion, was being back during the reign of the Evil Queen while she hunted for Snow White.

The trees were green, the sky was dreary and the wind had a bite. Emma pulled her jacket tighter around her front in an attempt to fight off the chill as she gazed around the forest; hoping to find some miraculous solution to her problem manifest between the trees.

"I can't believe we're back," she muttered. "What the hell are we going to do? I have no magic and even if I did, I wouldn't know what to do to get us out of this mess." She slumped on the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Well, doing nothing isn't going to help, love," Hook stated. "We need to find someone to help us."

Emma glared at him. "Well, I never!" She huffed and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still have my magic," she grumbled quietly. "Who can actually help us? Rumplebloodystiltskin?"

"Did someone call my name?" Asked a lilting voice from behind them.

Emma flicked her head rapidly to the side and gasped in shock. She stood up quickly and came face to face with the one and only Rumplestiltskin. She took a step back, as if thinking that being that close to him, she would contract his scaly skin and grotty fingernails. He was wearing his signature crocodile costume. Emma had never seen anything like it except for the drawings in Henry's book.

"How did you know we were here?" Emma asked in return.

Rumple giggled, high pitched and teasing, his eyes glinting with mirth, enjoying every second. He flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Now that is a good question, isn't it, Dearie? How does the wind blow?"

"Stop speaking in riddles," Hook hissed.

"You!" Rumple cried, pointing a scaly finger at the pirate. He'd clearly not seen the pirate up until that moment. He shot out his hand as if reaching it around a throat. Hook gasped and clutched his throat as his face turned red.

"Stop it!" Emma shouted and stepped between them. "I get it, you hate him, but that's not the problem right now!"

The Dark One ignored her for a few more seconds before looking at the Saviour and seeing her death glare. He snapped his hand back and the pirate felt the floor gasping for breath. Emma ignored him and turned back to Rumple.

"Answer my question!" She demanded.

"You need not know, only that I knew to be here," he replied. "I don't know who you are, Dearie, but I can sense magic. It was foretold I would come here. Who are you?"

Emma was silent for a few moments. She knew how important it would be that Rumple didn't remember any of it. Just her being there was changing the past and she knew how dangerous it would be. Yet, she also knew not to mess with the Dark One and soon realised that honestly was the best policy. She could worry about everything else late.

"Emma. Emma Swan and we need your help."

One again, something flashed through the Dark One's eyes that she didn't recognise and her heart started to quicken in fear. Rumple smirked and glanced for a millisecond towards where the pirate, who was standing up again, was. His face turned and Emma realised the look, it was sheer evil.

The Dark One laughed humourlessly. "You know, I would help you, for a price," he began, "but I would never help someone who was amicable with _him_."

"What?!" Emma cried, realising what was going on.

"So, Dearie, I wish you luck!" Then with a bang and flash, Rumple disappeared and it was as if he'd never even been there.

Emma stared at where the Dark One had stood in disbelief. She screamed in frustration and kicked the tree in front of her. "Fuck!" She cried and clutched her foot and hopped, willing the pain to diminished as quickly as it came.

"Come now, love, it's not the end of the world," Hook said as he took a step towards her.

The Saviour dropped her foot and turned on him, her eyes alight with the fire of her fury. "It's not the end of the world?!" She hissed. "Of course, it is! He was the only one that could have helped us, but _you_ had to have pissed him off years ago and steal his wife! So now he won't help me get back to my son and my family. I have to get back!"

She turned her back on him and started pacing, muttering to herself, trying to come up with ideas. Initially she was going to suggest trying to find Rumple and ask him if he could bring back her magic, at least, then she could try and get them back herself. Then, if that didn't work, she was going to ask the Dark One in general to get them back, surely he had the power. She didn't know if there was anyone else she could ask. She had no idea where Maleficent was, if Regina had already trapped her, so she was out of the question. She couldn't go anywhere near her parents because she would mess up their meeting which would end her existence. That only left one magic wielder and Emma was terrified at the thought of it, but it was their only choice.

"You have an idea, don't you, Swan," Hook said as he recognised the look in the blonde's eye.

"It's a long shot," Emma murmured in reply, "but it could work." She turned her back on the pirate and looked into the distance. "We have to ask Regina."

Hook's eyes shot open in alarm. "Swan, you can't be serious. You don't know the Evil Queen, not like I do. She's not the Regina you know today in Storybrooke. She'll never help us."

"Maybe not _you_ , but maybe me," she said quietly. She turned around and looked at the pirate. "We have to our separate ways. Go occupy yourself for a few days and I'll figure it out by myself. Meet me here in three days."

Emma then began to walk away before Hook called her back. "WHAT?" She snapped, finally losing her patience with the pirate.

He pointed to the clothes on the line behind them. "All I'm suggesting is that you look the part before going anywhere dressed like that."

The blonde rolled her eyes but silently agreed with him. After a few minutes, she was dressed the part in a maiden's dress, minus the corset because she was so not okay with that. With that done, she turned once more and started walking as far away from Hook as she possibly could.

The last few days back in Storybrooke had been so chaotic, it was actually nice to have some peace and quiet as she walked through the forest. Sure, something could jump out at her but what was the worst thing that could happen?

Just as she thought that, she heard the tell-tale sounds of horse hooves heading in her direction. She did all she could to quickly hide behind a fallen tree with only a few seconds to spare. She recognised the black suits of the soldiers easily from Henry's storybook, along with the black carriage that followed them. Wherever Emma was, the village was about to received a, most likely, unwelcomed guest.

The carriage pulled to a stop barely a few meters away from where Emma was hiding and she held her breath to prevent them from hearing her, but she couldn't help the gasp when she saw _her_.

Emma had heard story after story about the Evil Queen, from what she did to what she was like, but not a single one of those stories had prepared her for what Emma was met with after she saw the Evil Queen in all her glory for the first time. Her breath caught in her throat as she admired the Queen from afar. Her leather trousers clung to her like a second skin and a low-cut blouse that hinted to everything made Emma's heart quicken and skin blush, but that wasn't the main thing that peaked her interest.

In fact, it wasn't even what the Queen was wearing; it was her eyes. Her face showed determination to find Snow and to punish the woman who had apparently helped her, but her eyes showed pain and vulnerability. Well to Emma it did because she knew Regina like she knew herself, even though she'd never met this version before, but she could see where her Regina had been. Well she wasn't _her_ Regina, if anything she was _Robin's_ Regina. Emma shivered at the thought.

If she were honest with herself, that was the main reason she was happy that she was away from Storybrooke for now. It was true that she was worried that her new baby brother was going to replace her in her parents' life. Then Neal had suddenly come back in her life to just die again. There was also the fact that she'd gone from living a perfect life in New York, believing she'd never given her son up, just to have her world turned upside down by the pirate when he gave her that damned potion to give her, her memories back.

Thinking of the pirate, his constant attempts at winning her affections was just as irritating as it sounded. But then, she was happy that he'd brought her back to her family and also to Regina. Though the surprise was when she found out that Regina had a boyfriend! She wanted the former queen to find her happy ending, of course she did, but she'd never stopped to think about what Regina's happy ending would be. Did she think it would be a man? In actual fact, no. The only male she'd imagined in Regina's life was Henry.

Thinking of Regina, she looked up and watched her. Despite her being in her Evil Queen element, terrorising the villagers, which included, Emma realised Marco, Granny and Ruby, the latter of whom was half hidden behind her grandma, Emma still saw Regina. A broken woman, who was desperately seeking anything to make her feel something again.

Emma watched Regina threaten the village to reveal Snow White's plans or hideout and Emma was impressed at how strong the villagers were. She'd heard the story from her mother and read it in the book, she knew that Snow had been there not a day ago, yet they didn't say a word as they defended their rightful princess.

Then finally when none of the villagers spoke, Regina stepped back into her carriage and the door snapped shut behind her. The carriage driver flexed the reigns and the horses sped off into the distance. Emma was then able to stand up and stretch out her cramped limbs from being crouched for so long.

She shook out her legs and then arms before cracking her spine. She wished she had her magic and could poof to her destination but alas, she didn't. Instead, she would have to follow the tracks until she reached Regina's castle. She had no idea how long that would take but right now, she had no other option.

oOoOo

The walk took hours and she had to sit down and rest several times. She cast her mind back to some of the survival tips her mother had mentioned in passing as she started to grow hungry and thirsty. She found a couple of small streams and took a drink, but she didn't have anything to carry water in, so she had to gulp down what she could.

She vaguely remembered which safe berries Snow had pointed out the last time she was in the Enchanted Forest and she soon found a bush full of blackberries and ate a couple of handfuls. She found a few other berries that she couldn't name and picked a few to snack on further into her journey.

Along the way, she passed a few more small villages, but as she had no money, nor nothing of value, she couldn't buy any food. She simply ducked her head down and passed through, hoping no one would see her and then recognise her in the future.

Night was starting to fall when finally, she saw the black, spiky castle in the distance. She breathed in a sighed of relief. Her feet ached and her back killed. She was ready for a sit down, yet she knew the night wasn't over. She still had to figure out a way to get the Queen to help and not kill her.

On she walked, unaware of her surroundings. Weariness encroached her senses, as the tiredness took over. Her feet started to stumble as she dragged them along. Then suddenly, everything went black.

oOoOo

The next thing she knew, she was in a small chamber, lit by a few candles, next to a crackling fire and someone was mopping her brow with a cool cloth.

"It's okay, Miss, you'll be okay," a voice murmured as they brought the cloth down her cheeks.

Emma blinked her eyes and saw kind brown eyes looking down at her. She'd recognise those eyes anywhere after spending so much time staring into a version of them, not that she would ever admit to that. She knew without even asking that this was Regina's father.

"Ah, good, you're awake," he said with a smile in his voice. She tried to sit up, but Henry pushed her back down gently. "Don't get up yet, you're still tired and need to rest. I've sent for my maid to get a room set up for you for the night."

Emma went to speak but her mouth was too dry to say anything. Realising this, Henry helped her lift her head and brought a small water goblet to her mouth. Emma relished the simple taste of water, the liquid never tasting so good to her before.

"Now, can you tell me your name?" He asked gently, his eyes sparkling with happiness despite not knowing her and Emma soon realised why Regina loved this man more than anything in the world.

"Emma," she whispered, "My name is Emma." She thought it best no to say her full name as she'd heard that not many people had surnames at the time.

"That's a beautiful name," Henry replied. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." He placed the water goblet down and Emma blushed at the comment. "My name is Henry. Now, Emma, can you tell me what led to you collapsing outside the Queen's castle?"

The blonde took a deep breath as she began to sit up. This time, Henry didn't stop her. She winced as her head spun and Henry passed her the water goblet again. She took a small sip.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly as her brain worked overtime to think of a good excuse, but instead, she chose to stretch the truth as much as she could. "I've been travelling," she began, which was true. "I have been separated from my family and I need to return to them, but I don't know how. I've heard so many great things about the Queen and hoped to get a job here to help me get back to my family."

Henry was quiet for a few moments. "I see," he said finally with a small smile. These days he never heard anyone say anything positive towards his daughter, but he could see the honesty in Emma's eyes and actually believed what she was saying. "I see," he repeated. "What if I said there was a job going in my quarters instead of the Queen's, would that work?"

"That would be amazing!" Emma said quickly. She soon realised if she could get close to Henry, that was a one-way ticket to getting closer to Regina. Once she was in the castle, she could work her charm and move her way up. Well, she could only hope! "I would be honoured, Sir."

"Then that's settled!" He said happily. "I can't pay much, but I can guarantee you a place to stay and the hours are not too bad. You will have every Wednesday afternoon off and every other Sunday. The job isn't difficult, just cleaning and helping during trips. If you do a good job, I'm sure I'll be able to get you a position with the Queen, but she is rather demanding."

"I'm sure she's a great woman," Emma said quietly. She tried not to think about how true her words were. She knew that Regina was a great woman, just currently completely heartbroken.

"She is indeed," Henry agreed before coughing slightly to change the subject. "Now, I shall show you to your room and ensure some food is sent up for you."

Henry helped Emma stand up, she tried to refuse as she was starting to feel better, but he insisted. He led her out of the room and along a couple of hallways, pointing out some important rooms and directions including to his chambers and the washroom, before arriving in a small room. It wasn't much but it was enough. There was a bed, a small vanity table with a small mirror and a wardrobe that was surprisingly full of clothes, which Emma was grateful of as she only had that one dress and her jeans.

"The food will be here in a few moments," Henry said as he walked back to the door. "If there is anything else you need, or if you start to feel ill again, please ring this bell," he pointed to the small brass bell on the vanity, "and someone will be along to help you. Good night, Emma." He dipped his head in respect and started to walk away.

"Henry, I mean, Sir, I can't thank you enough for this," Emma said in earnest. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You are very welcome," Henry replied. "Sweet dreams." He then turned and left the room.

Emma sat down lightly on her bed and looked around, not believing her luck. Sure, she was miles away, well years away, from home with no current way to get home except for her practically impossible plan. But as she thought about it, maybe it wasn't impossible. Her first step, get to the Queen's castle, was complete. She was in and working for Henry. The only way was up, right?

A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door as the cook brought up some food. She opened the door and saw no one was there but there was a tray on the floor. It was a simple bowl of vegetable soup and some bread and a jug of water. It wasn't much, but it was the finest food after not eating all day.

She ate the food slowly, savouring the taste, before stripping down to her underwear. She blew out the candles and settled into bed. Day one in the past of the Enchanted Forest was done and the first step of her plan was complete. She just hoped that the rest of her task would go just as swimmingly but really, would that ever be the case?


	2. Chapter 2

Emma was awoken the next morning by a timid knock on the door, followed by someone entering.

"So, I hear you're the new girl," the woman said as she walked in carrying some sheets. She was slim and slightly tanned with long dark hair. She looked like she took no funny business, but she had a kind smile and dazzling green eyes.

Bleary eyed, Emma sat up in her bed. "Yes," she said croakily. "I'm Emma."

"I'm Esmeralda," the other woman said and Emma tried not to gasp in shock at the recognition of her name. She quickly schooled her features.

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said with a smile. "So, what do I need to do today?"

Esmeralda smiled as she walked over and perched on the side of Emma's bed. "Sir Henry is really lovely to work for," she began. "He likes to have two maids at a time. The last one left a couple of days ago." The look on Esmeralda's face made it clear that Emma shouldn't ask what happened to her. "I deal with his dressing and nurse him if he's ill. You're to clean his chambers and accompany him on trips. I can't leave my family, so I don't travel with him. It's easy work as long as you stay out of _her_ way."

Emma raised her eyebrow at the not so subtle mention of the Queen. "The Queen isn't as easy to work for?"

The brunette scoffed. "Not at all. She's terrifying. I never go into the main castle if I can help it. Just stick with me and you'll be fine." She then stood up and headed towards the door. "Breakfast is in five minutes and then it'll be time to start the day."

Esmeralda then left the room and Emma was alone once more. With a sigh, she got out of bed and stretched before frowning. She hadn't realised that Henry's living quarters were separate from the main castle. This was going to make running into Regina a whole lot harder, especially now she'd been warned to keep her distance.

She shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. She had to remain positive and take a leaf out of her mother's book. Hope would win. She scoffed to herself and rolled her eyes. There was no point in that right now. She had to get dressed and get to the kitchen before she started work.

Quickly she dressed in one of the plain dresses in the wardrobe and was pleased to see that there wasn't a corset in sight. She slipped on a pair of flat shoes and left the room. Along she went, retracing her steps from the night before to find the kitchen. As she walked, she thought about the woman she met that morning. It seemed Disney had really gotten Esmeralda's story wrong if she was just a maid in the Evil Queen's castle instead of a dancing gypsy and a love interest for Quasimodo. However, now wasn't really the time to be pondering that. She was more worried that she'd never seen her in Storybrooke, but that could mean nothing. She was sure that she hadn't met everyone in the town, despite how small it was.

Soon enough, she'd made it to the kitchen. She walked in slowly and saw Esmeralda sitting at the table and a small elderly woman behind her who was cooking away, but upon her arrival, the cook turned around.

"So, you're the new one," she stated with a raised eyebrow as she looked her up and down. "I'm Laverne, Sir Henry's cook. I believe you've met Esmeralda already." Emma nodded. She tried not to laugh at hearing Laverne's name. It seemed the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame was completely wrong as this Laverne was very much human and not a talking gargoyle. "Sir Henry is lovely but just watch out for that daughter of his."

"Laverne, you know we're not meant to tell people about it!" Esmeralda hissed.

"What? She's going to figure it out working here!" Laverne sassed back.

"It's alright," Emma said as she took a seat at the table. "I already knew."

Both Esmeralda and Laverne turned to look at Emma, both with incredulous looks of shock on their faces.

"How did you know that?" Laverne asked with a slight bite in her voice and Emma realised that she'd said the wrong thing.

"Oh, um, Sir Henry mentioned it last night," she replied quietly. That was a lie, of course, but it was the first thing that sprung to mind. For now, she had to follow through with it.

Laverne and Esmeralda glanced at each other before the younger shrugged. "Just don't go around talking about it."

Emma nodded and promised. Then Laverne placed a bowl of porridge full of berries in front of the blonde and she was too busy eating to think.

oOoOo

After breakfast, Esmeralda showed Emma around Henry's living quarters and showed her what she was meant to do. Henry himself wasn't around but Emma preferred that for now. She would get to know him when she was more familiar with her new job. Despite not being known for her cleaning back in Storybrooke, but she actually wasn't doing too badly. The old-fashioned brushes and the one-spray-fits-all method was much easier.

By the end of the day, she was tired, but not exhausted, the feeling after a satisfactory day of work without overworking. She'd tidied Henry's bedroom and changed his bedding before cleaning the kitchen. She then helped Laverne with the dishes after a dinner of a hearty stew.

"Does the Queen ever come here?" Emma asked as she wiped the cutlery. Esmeralda wasn't in the room and she thought Laverne would be easier to get gossip out of.

"Very rarely," Laverne replied. "She tends to call Sir Henry to the castle instead of the other way around. She's very demanding."

 _Don't I know it,_ Emma thought to herself. Regina was ridiculously demanding now, she dreaded to think how bad the Evil Queen was.

Emma looked up at the cook who had an unreadable expression.

"You don't seem scared of the Queen," Laverne noticed. She tilted her head to the side as Emma tried to come up with a response to that without telling the truth.

"I'm not," Emma answered honestly. "I don't think there's anything to be scared of if you treat her correctly." She shrugged.

"Ah, I see," Laverne muttered. She poured away the last of the water and dried her hands.

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I have seen many people work here over the years," the older began. "Some are like me and Esmeralda who enjoy service and want the money. Then there are some, like the last woman who just left, who try their luck with the Queen. They get this job to try and get close to her. She never accepts their advances. They either get chewed up and spat out, like the last woman, or she just refutes and they leave with their tails between their legs. Now, is that your aim?"

Emma swallowed. "It's not what you think!" She said quickly. "I have to get back to my family, the Queen is the only one who can help."

Laverne was quiet as she took in Emma's desperate look and her heart softened. "Then I wish you all the luck in the world. I lost my family years ago, I wouldn't wish that on anyone." She smiled sadly. "Goodnight, Emma."

And with that, she left the room, leaving Emma on her own. She quickly finished the rest of the dishes and put them away where she could before returning to the table. She slumped down and rested her head in her hands. So, Laverne was already onto her. Her plan was never going to work.

oOoOo

The next morning seemed to pass in a blur as she was already in the swing of things. Esmeralda woke her up at seven again and Emma quickly dressed before heading into the kitchen for breakfast. Laverne greeted her as if their late-night conversation had never happened and put another bowl of porridge in front of her. The three then broke apart as Esmeralda went to dress their boss and Emma went to start cleaning.

It was only after lunch when things spiced up. Esmeralda found Emma in the far library and told her that Henry requested her presence in his sitting room. As she approached, she heard the familiar raised voice that sent shivers down her spine. She resisted the urge to shut her eyes and concentrate on the melodic sound as she didn't want to be late.

If Emma knew any better, she should have known not to enter the room while Regina was speaking with, well more appropriately yelling at, her father but the temptation to see Regina again was too great.

She slowly crept into the room and once more, seeing the Queen took her breath away. This time, as she was just in the comfort of her father's presence, she wasn't dressed up to the nines. She was still in a killer dress with a plunging neckline, but it was made out of a lighter fabric and was an amethyst purple as apposed to the deep burgundies and black she was so fond of wearing. The colour suited her and brought out her dark chocolate brown eyes even more. Her hair cascaded in neat waves down her back instead of twisted into an updo and gone were the ridiculously large headpieces. Emma's breath was taken away at the simplicity of her beauty.

"I don't care what state their kingdom is in, I refuse to let you go!" Regina snapped at her father, completely unaware that Emma had entered the room which was so unlike her. The Regina Emma knew always knew when Emma was in the room, it was like she had a sixth sense to detect the woman she detested.

"I have already agreed to it, Regina," Henry responded calmly. "I leave this evening and have requested Emma to accompany me."

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Who is this Emma?"

At the mention of her name, Emma thought it was best to announce her arrival with a quiet cough.

"Ah, Emma, thank you for coming swiftly," Henry said as he turned around and saw her. Emma tried her damnedest not to look at Regina at that moment. "Your Majesty, this is my new maid, Emma. She has replaced Morgana." At the mention of the previous maid's name, Regina's eyes flashed with something Emma didn't quiet recognise. Was is disgust, regret, anger?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty," Emma greeted and curtsied like her mother once taught her how to. "I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

Regina scoffed. "I hardly believe that's true." Emma risked a glance at the Queen's face and saw that she looked intrigued.

"I'd never lie, your Majesty." The sentence hung heavy in the air. Emma didn't take her eyes away from the Queen's which widened in shock before narrowing down in distrust.

Instead of replying, she turned back to her father. "If you really have to go, don't be long. It's not safe out there. What if _she_ hurts you to get to me?"

"Regina," Henry said softly. "I'll have my guards that you have so graciously given me. I'll be safe."

The Queen didn't look convinced and she turned to Emma. "If he gets hurt on your watch, I'll have your head! Do you understand?"

Emma knew she should be terrified, but she couldn't help but admire Regina's ferociousness to protect her father. It was something she still held today when protecting their Henry. Just thinking about her son made her heart pang. She missed him so much, but now wasn't the time to appear weak.

"I promise, your Majesty," Emma swore. "I'll guard him with my life."

Regina seemed satisfied with her words and nodded before turning to her father. "If you run into any trouble, do not hesitate to contact me and I will have George's head."

"I'm sure it'll all be fine," Henry assured his daughter. "I'll be back tomorrow evening at the latest."

The Queen nodded before flicking her wrist and disappearing in a cloud of purple.

Emma watched the space where Regina had disappeared with a slight look of awe on her face that she knew Henry had caught, so she quickly schooled her features and asked a question to get the attention from her.

"So, what was that all about?"

"I have business in the next Kingdom over tomorrow," Henry replied with a kind smile, accepting that Emma didn't want to talk about her reaction to the Queen's presence. He was impressed, the majority of his previous maids, even those who wanted to get close to the Queen, were scared shitless when they first met her, but Emma didn't seem to have one dose of fear in her. "I need to leave this evening but will be back tomorrow. As per your role, you are to accompany me. Is that agreeable?"

Emma nodded vigorously. "Of course, Sir. When do we leave?"

Henry smiled at Emma's willingness. "At dusk."

She nodded once more and dipped her head before leaving his sitting room to go pack. She knew she wouldn't need much, only another dress for the next day and a night gown. She couldn't sleep in a different place in only her underwear. She sat down on her bed for a few moments to clear her thoughts. She'd always known Regina was an attractive and powerful woman but seeing her in all of her Evil Queen glory was making her doubt how she really felt for the woman. She knew she should be terrified of her, she'd heard all the stories about her. Yet, she couldn't find it in her to worry one bit. All she saw was a broken woman who just needed to be loved.

Shaking her head, she quickly got back to packing, she didn't have time to dwell on her feelings. She had a task to do: get close enough to the Queen so that she could help her get home to her family and to the other Regina, but more importantly, she needed to get back to her son. With one final thought to her son, she shut her mind to it all. She picked up the small case and brought it over to the door so she could pick it up easily when it was time to go. Once that was done, she had to go back to work.

oOoOo

Soon enough, Emma found herself sitting in the carriage opposite Henry. It was dark and cold, so she wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders.

"We won't be much longer," Henry said with a smile.

"What business do you have, Sir, if that's not too personal to ask?" Emma wondered.

"Ask away, my dear," Henry said kindly. "I don't like to keep secrets from my staff. That's why I keep it small. It stops the spread of rumours." His eyes twinkled as he chortled quietly. "King George's son is soon getting married and wishes to form a union with the Queen, but she refuses to meet him, so I must go in her stead. As you heard earlier, she is not too fond of the idea of my meeting him."

Emma thought about what he said. She tried to think of the time line in from Henry's book to see where this fit to work out if she had messed up her parents' timelines at all. She supposed it didn't really matter how much she messed with Regina's so long as her parents got together. She could worry about Regina later. However, as hard as she thought, she couldn't remember her father ever mentioning about seeing Henry before the almost wedding to Abigail.

"But you are confident that the meeting will go well?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded. "King George is desperate for money," he replied with a slight roll of his eyes. He hadn't quite got it mastered as well as his daughter and future grandson. "Which is why he's marrying his son to King Midas' daughter. I'm sure he'd have wanted James to marry my daughter if she wasn't a Queen in her own right now. Alas, I'm going to make a peace treaty and offer some funds to prevent him from wanting to declare war on my daughter."

"I see," Emma said, trying to make it seem like she understood royal politics. She didn't. Once more she was actually glad that Regina had cast the curse for more than just the fact she got Henry out of it. She couldn't imagine growing up and learning about all the royal nonsense.

"Royal politics is difficult to understand," Henry said as if reading Emma's mind. "It took me a long time to learn and even then, my wife, who didn't come from a royal back ground, understood it much better than I did. Regina took after her mother in that way, I suppose…" Henry trailed off with a shake of his head. He rarely spoke of Cora and always regretting comparing his daughter to his wife. In most ways, they were nothing alike, but sometimes, there was the tiniest similarity.

"From what I've heard and seen, she takes after you, Sir," Emma commented with a smile, hoping that he wouldn't read too much into what she was saying.

"You know, Emma, you surprise me," Henry said as he leant forward, changing the subject completely. "When I saw you laying on the floor, I rushed over in panic to help. I thought you would get up and be on your way but instead, you've wormed your way in and I like that. I respect you. I think this is the beginning to a wonderful friendship."

At that, Emma couldn't help but smile. Despite the falseness she began with, gaining Henry's trust to get to Regina so she could go home, it was starting to become more and more real. She saw so much of Regina and her Henry in this Henry despite the latter never having met his grandson. It made her heart ache at the thought.

"I look forward to it, Sir," Emma said.

Henry smiled and leant back in his seat but said no more. Emma took the silence as an opportunity to look out the window. The curtain hadn't been drawn and the moonlight poured in.

The journey so far seemed to be going swimmingly. There weren't evening any troughs in the road to cause the carriage to bounce. Yet, naturally as she thought that, something had to go wrong.

An arrow suddenly shot through the open window and landed at the other side of the carriage, luckily missing both of them. Henry let out a gasp shock as yelling was heard outside the carriage. Men shouted and the horses whinnied. Again, Emma wished she had her magic, but she didn't. All she could do in this moment was make sure that Henry wasn't hurt.

She looked around to see if there was a weapon in the carriage and turned just in time to dodge another arrow that shot in. However, the same could not be said as she heard a distinct grunt of pain. She shot round and saw Henry slump to the floor, the palest of faces, with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shit!" Emma cried as she saw the blood starting to trickle from the wound and Henry's face pale. "Fuck, this was not meant to happen!"

"I'm…okay," Henry husked out but he clearly was not. He gasped out in pain whenever he tried to move his arm. Emma could hear shouts and cries from the men outside and the sound of sword clashes as the guards fought off the bandits. Looking down at the arrow, Emma realised that this did not belong to her mother and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I'll be right back," she said.

"No, it's too dangerous!" Henry gasped out breathily.

"I promised Regina I would protect you! I have to do this," she insisted.

"Emma!"

She ignored Henry's call as she exited the carriage. She didn't really know what she was doing, more working on adrenaline than forming a coherent plan.

Once she was out, she took in the surroundings, trying to think what Regina, or her mother, would do in this situation. _Find the leader_ , she heard Regina's voice instruct in her head. She glanced at everyone. The men surrounding the carriage were very familiar to her with one face sticking out above the rest. His arms were aloft with an arrow ready to loose, aiming directly at her.

"Robin!" She hissed. The shout of his name faltered his movement and the arrow missed its target, hitting a tree trunk just to her left.

"I know not who you are, Milady, but I do not want to harm you," Robin said as he readied another arrow. "Just step aside and we will give you no trouble."

Emma simply looked at him incredulously, his smarmy attitude once more pissing her off and Regina wasn't even in sight at the present moment. No, she wouldn't let him steal from the Queen and she had to get Henry back to the castle immediately. She stretched out her fingers, willing her magic to return. She could feel something, but it wasn't enough.

Shutting her eyes, she tried to concentrate on Henry, her Henry, and the love she had for him and the belief he had in her. She concentrated on her parents that she'd wanted to meet all her life, who she'd finally found. She thought about the little brother she was yet to hold and welcome into their crazy family. As she thought about her family, she could feel her magic grow, but it still wasn't strong enough.

Instead, she thought of Regina. The smile she reserved for Henry, but the odd time that it had been flashed in her direction made her heart flutter and sent jolts to her fingers. She thought about the stakeout she and Regina did on the Mayor's office when they tried to trap Zelena, the fact they'd spent so many hours in such a small space together and not killed each other. Regina was so close to her, she could have just leant over and kissed her. She should have done. Perhaps then the brunette wouldn't have started dating the man who currently had another arrow pointed at her.

Emma's eyes flew open as she felt the sparks in her hands. The love she held for her family, the feelings she held for Regina and the hatred and anger she had towards Robin seem to snap the block on her magic, but she didn't know how long it would last. She shot out her arms and allowed the magic to pour out in striking white light. Robin and his Merry Men were blinded.

Emma used the distraction to call the guards back to the carriage. "Sir Henry is injured, we have to return to the castle!" Emma cried and the soldiers hurried back to the carriage.

Emma turned to leave but she didn't know when she'd next be this close to Robin without facing the consequences that would happen back in Storybrooke. She wound back her arm and punched him square in the nose, causing him to fall to the floor, before quickly running back to the carriage.

"GO!" She ordered and the driver flexed the reigns and commanded the horses to rush back to the castle.

Once in the carriage, she dropped to the floor to apply pressure to Henry's wound. She didn't dare take the arrow out should it bleed more. Raising her right hand, she tried to use her magic to heal the wound, but it was no use. Whatever had unlocked it prior was no longer working.

"You have magic?" Henry gasped out as he recognised the movement.

Emma nodded. "I do but I can't summon it right now," she replied quietly as she tried once more to heal the wound.

"Do not waste your energy," Henry said. "I am old. I have lived my life."

"I will not let you die!" Emma cried as she tried one more time, but it was to no avail. "Regina will kill me if I do." She tried not to think that if Henry died, Regina wouldn't be able to cast the Dark Curse and Emma would never live the life she'd had. Despite it being pretty shitty, it got her Henry and she would never change anything about that.

In her moment of desperation, Emma never realised that she'd referred to the Queen as simply Regina, but Henry did. He didn't say anything, but he made a mental note of it.

Before long, the guards were announcing that they were back at the castle. They helped Henry into his quarters and Emma went in search of Esmeralda and Laverne to help. They were easily found in the kitchen eating their evening meal.

"Emma! What are you doing back so soon?" Laverne asked.

"You have to help me!" Emma cried as she crashed into the room, ignoring the cook's question. "Sir Henry has been wounded!"

As soon as she said that, the other two women sprang into action. They collected cloths and ointments and followed Emma to Henry's room where he rested. She took hold of his hand so he could squeeze it when he was in pain. She never left his side as Esmeralda got to work. They removed the arrow and were relieved that it hadn't ruptured any muscles or shattered any bones. It would heal.

Esmeralda applied some healing ointment and wrapped it up, putting his arm in a sling to keep it elevated.

"The bandage will have to be changed every day," she said as she tied it up. "But the wound will heal and you will be okay."

"Thank you," Henry murmured as his eyes started to flutter shut. It was already very late and being injured wasn't helping.

"Sleep, Sir," Esmeralda instructed fondly, "and you'll feel better."

Henry didn't respond as he rolled over on to the pain free side and was asleep in seconds. Esmeralda left the room, but Emma stayed for a few more moments. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest before she slowly made her way out of the room and followed the brunette to the kitchen.

"Would you like something to eat?" Esmeralda asked when she saw Emma appear.

Emma shook her head. "No. I guess I have to go speak to the Queen about what happened."

Esmeralda's eyes widened at the statement. "Good luck," she muttered.

Emma nodded and the two parted ways. The previous day, Laverne had pointed her in the direction of the main castle with the comment of, "I hope you never have to go there". It didn't particularly take long for the blonde to reach the Queen's chambers after asking directions from a couple of guards. She stated her business and they allowed her through.

As she walked up, she couldn't help but find it slightly ironic that Regina's father had been injured by her future boyfriend. She scoffed at the term and looked down at her hand to see the proof that she had punched him. Her knuckles had started to bruise and she winced as she flexed her fingers, but she couldn't find it anywhere in herself to care. It was worth the pain to knock his smug smile off his face.

Once she reached her chambers, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and looked to the guard on duty.

"Could you inform her Majesty that I am here to pass news of her father?" Emma requested. "My name is Emma. She should know who I am."

The guard looked intrigued. It seemed knowledge of what happened the Queen's father had not yet reached the Queen or the guards here. The guard nodded and announced Emma's arrival.

"You may go in," he said.

Cautiously, Emma walked into the room.

Regina was sitting at her desk with a candle lit as she composed a letter. She looked up as Emma walked in and immediately her face paled and worry was etched on her beautiful features. The blonde's presence could only mean one of a handful of things. She wouldn't be there if the journey to King George's castle had gone well.

"Where's my father!?" Regina demanded.

"He's in his room, your Majesty," Emma replied quickly. "He was wounded but he's okay."

The Queen's face relaxed a fraction after Emma assured her that her father was okay. "What happened?" She asked, a little quieter that her first question.

"There was an ambush by Robin Hood and his Merry Men." Emma tried not to laugh at the name the thief had given his band of followers. "An arrow shot into the carriage and landed in your father's shoulder. I managed to blast away the culprits and punched their leader so that we could get away."

"Blast?" Regina repeated. She stood up and took a couple of steps towards the blonde but stayed a safe distance away. "You have magic?"

"Yes and no," Emma admitted. "I had it, but I was cursed so I couldn't use it. It came back so I could get rid of the thieves, but I wasn't able to heal your father with it. I'm sorry, your Majesty. I failed you."

Emma frowned and bit her lip, looking to the floor. She knew what the Queen did when you disobeyed her orders. Emma had promised that Henry wouldn't get hurt and he did.

Suddenly, Emma felt the Queen enter her personal space and she was reminded of the first time this happened, when Henry got stuck in the mines. She could smell her perfume, it was different to the one she wore in Storybrooke but just as heavenly scented. It took all her restraint to stop herself from inhaling it. Slowly, she looked up and saw Regina was looking at her strangely.

"You didn't fail me," she said quietly. "If you weren't there, things would have been much worse."

Emma was surprised at the soft tone in the Queen's voice. Never had she expected that. The Queen then lifted her bruising hand and looked at it. There was a flash of purple and the pain diminished. She quickly realised that Regina had healed her hand.

"Thank you, your Majesty!" Emma said quickly. She looked up and saw Regina flash a quick smile before schooling her features, still holding Emma's hand.

"Yes, well, consider us equal. I healed you because you saved him," Regina said quickly and dropped the hand quickly as if it burned. "Now, I have to go see him and heal him."

"Of course."

Emma regretfully took a step back and started to leave the room. She wished she could walk down side by side with the Queen but that would never happen. She also had the feeling that Regina would most likely poof to his quarters.

Just as Emma reached the door, she gathered her courage and turned last minute to face the Queen who was still watching her. "Yes, I saved him, but it wasn't just for him," she said slowly. "I've only known my father for a short amount of time and I've been separated from him for an even shorter amount of time, but I miss him so much. I know how close the two of you are. I didn't just save him for him," she took a deep breath and looked Regina in the eye, "I saved him for _you_."

With that said, she turned and left the room, letting the final sentence hang in the air. Quickly, she headed to her room and flopped onto the bed, the back of her hand against her forehead. Jesus what a day!

oOoOo

Emma woke up naturally the next morning, her body already getting used to the new routine. She sat up in bed and a few minutes later, Esmeralda knocked on the door as a wakeup call. Hopping off the bed, she quickly dressed and started her day.

The two others pounced on her as soon as she stepped through the kitchen door. Emma waved them off as she took a seat next to where Esmeralda sat, nursing a cup of tea with her breakfast.

"What happened last night?" Esmeralda asked first.

"You never actually said," Laverne added.

"Give me a few minutes to wake up!" Emma joked and smiled as Laverne put her porridge in front of her and took a seat at the other side of Emma.

The two didn't say anything but continued to look at Emma. Waiting.

"We were attacked," Emma began before telling them what happened. She left out the magic part because she didn't want to frighten them or make them distrust her. She simply said the guards fought them off, but she got to the leader and punched him as she had no weapon.

"That was brave!" Laverne commented.

Emma shrugged. "Sir Henry was injured, I had to do what I could do to help. Then we came back here and well, you know the rest."

"What happened when you saw the Queen?" Esmeralda asked. "I saw Sir Henry this morning and his shoulder is all healed. He just has to wear the sling for the next day or two."

"I just told her what happened and apologised for not keeping my promise," Emma said dejectedly. "She told me I was to protect her father and I didn't."

"There wasn't much you could have done, Emma," Laverne said softly. "It's not like you had magic to fight them with."

Emma shuffled in her seat and quickly took a spoonful of her breakfast so that she could distract herself.

"I'm just glad I have the afternoon off today," Emma murmured.

oOoOo

The morning seemed to pass in a blur as she did her work. She popped into Henry's sitting room mid-morning to see how he was doing. He was sitting by the fire reading a book.

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir," Emma said as she walked in. "I just wanted to check up and see how you were feeling."

Henry smiled and folded the corner of his page down before placing it on the table beside him. "I'm doing much better, thank you."

"Did the Queen manage to heal your shoulder?" She asked.

"Indeed, she did," he replied. "In fact, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. No need to look so worried," he added and smiled reassuringly. He gestured to the chair beside him and Emma perched on the end, not wanting to get it dirty if her dress was.

Emma didn't say anything, she just waited for Henry to speak. She didn't know what she'd say if she started to talk.

"You said you had magic. Were you born with it or cursed or taught?" He asked.

"Born, I think," Emma replied and Henry tilted his head in confusion, silently asking for her to continue. "I was raised in a place where my magic wasn't accessible, then I moved and suddenly I could do all these things. I had a teacher, but we didn't always see eye to eye." She laughed humourlessly as she spoke about Regina.

"What happened to it?"

"I ran into some problems when someone wanted my magic gone so she tricked me," she said slowly. "She put someone in danger. I managed to save his life but doing so absorbed my magic. I don't know why it came back last night but I desperately want it back. If I get it back, I have a better chance at returning to my family."

Henry was silent for a few moments as he took in what Emma said. Of course, he'd been around magic for many years but both Cora and Regina learnt their trade, neither were born with the power.

"How did you become separated from your family?" He asked instead of responding to what Emma said.

At this, the blonde frowned. She couldn't tell the truth on this one and she couldn't think of a believable excuse on the spot. "I'd rather not talk about that, Sir."

At first, she thought he was going to be annoyed, but instead he nodded. "Of course, I apologise."

"Please don't!" Emma said quickly. She glanced up at the clock and realised that it was getting close to lunch. "I have to finish my work before lunch." She stood up and headed towards the door. "Feel better soon, Sir."

She didn't wait for Henry's response as she headed back to the kitchen. She finished her work quickly and ate the lunch Laverne supplied. It was another batch of her vegetable soup and it was delicious.

As she didn't have any plans for her afternoon off, she headed first to her room. Upon opening the door, she saw there was an envelope with her name addressed on the floor. She knelt down and picked it up, her heart fluttering as she recognised the handwriting. Slowly, she opened it.

 _Dear Emma,_ Emma's heart fluttered again at the use of her first name.

 _As a thank you for saving my father, I would like to invite you to join us for dinner this evening at 7:00._

 _Don't be late,_

 _The Queen._

Emma couldn't help it, she beamed as she read the letter. Realising she should probably inform Laverne of the change of plans so that she didn't prepare Emma any dinner for that evening, she headed towards the kitchen with a slight spring in her step.

As she got closer she heard raised voices. Two were distinctly female that she recognised as Esmeralda and Laverne. The other she recognised too. Quickly she ran to the kitchen and saw the three of them.

Esmeralda was holding Laverne back as she was threatening someone with her rolling pin. She looked furious.

"Hook!" Emma cried as she stepped in.

"Swan! What's going on?!" Hook demanded.

"You know this man?" Laverne asked incredulously as she turned to Emma.

"I'm afraid so," Emma muttered. "Is there somewhere I can speak to him privately?"

Esmeralda nodded as she released her hold on the cook. "The far library should be fine. No one ever really goes in there."

Emma nodded and motioned for Hook to join her. Once they were inside, the blonde turned on him.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She cried. "You could have ruined everything!"

"You didn't turn up where you said to meet," Hook replied with his hands held up in surrender. "I had to make sure you were okay."

"Shit," Emma muttered. It had completely slipped her mind that she was meant to meet him. "Sorry, I got caught up with things. Regina's father and I were attacked by Robin Hood last night." She then proceeded to tell him what had happened the day before, this time including what happened with her magic.

"Wait, what?" Hook asked slowly. "Surely Regina wouldn't date a man who attacked her father, even years in the future?"

"What do you mean?" Emma looked at the pirate, worried.

"It means," the pirate huffed, "that you have completely changed the story."

Emma slumped down against the wall and put her head in her hands. "Fuck."


	4. Chapter 4

Hook didn't say anything further; he didn't need to. Emma knew that she'd already completely changed the past by even allowing Regina to see her in the first place. It could have been fine if she'd stayed away but being in her presence was just too tempting.

She sighed and looked back up at Hook. "I will figure out a way for us to get home," she said quietly.

Surprisingly, Hook slipped down the wall too and rested his hand on the blonde's knee. She cringed but didn't remove it.

"I believe in you, Swan," he said. "I know you can do this. I just don't want you to get hurt along the way. I know what _she_ can be like."

Emma smiled sadly. She knew the pirate had feelings for her and at one point, she thought she could reciprocate them, especially now that Regina was dating Robin, but she knew it wasn't fair to string him along.

"I'll try. Where have you been?" She asked, trying to stem the conversation away from her and get her thoughts off Regina and the forest man.

"Hiding on the Jolly Roger actually," he replied. "In a room that was rumoured to be haunted. Now I think about it, I must be the reason for the legend." He chuckled quietly. "Perhaps we were always destined to come back." He shrugged. "What's it like working for the Queen?"

"I don't actually. I work for her father," Emma revealed. "He's so sweet and I'm already so fond of him after only three days. I'm even happier now that Regina named Henry after him. I'd have done the same."

Hook didn't know how to reply to that. He didn't want Emma to be getting fond of the people around her. She needed to get on with her plan to get them home. He didn't say any of that though, he'd faced her temper before and knew it wouldn't be best to spark it now.

"I should get going," he murmured as he began to stand up. "Now that I know you're okay."

"I have every other Sunday off, so we can meet again and I can let you know how I'm getting on." Emma stood up too and brushed the dirt off her dress. "I'll meet you in the village down the road if I have any news. If I don't turn up, it's because I don't have anything yet. Is that okay?"

The pirate nodded. "Aye, love, that'll do."

The two made their way back to the now empty kitchen and Emma watched the pirate leave. She could sense that he wanted to give her a parting hug, but she stayed just out of his reach.

Once the door was shut behind him, she let out a frustrated groan.

"I take it that was an ex then?" Said a voice from behind her. Emma spun round and saw Laverne standing in the doorframe, arms crossed, with an eyebrow raised , wearing a smirk that Regina would be proud of.

"He wishes," Emma muttered in return.

Laverne didn't reply at first, but simply raised her eyebrow even higher. She made her way into the room and motioned for Emma to take a seat before she started boiling some water for tea.

"That sounds intriguing," she said as she set the tea in front of Emma. She pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

Emma laughed and took a sip of her tea, humming in content at the taste. "There's nothing to say really. He's been trying to, well, court me for a while and…"

"You're far too good for him," Laverne said, cutting Emma off and waved her hand, scoffing. "Anyone stupid enough to get their hand removed isn't worth your time."

Emma thought it was best not to reveal the true story to how Hook got his moniker. Instead, she shrugged and changed the subject.

"I actually came in earlier to tell you to not make me any dinner tonight."

"Oh? Where are you eating?" The cook asked. It was rare that she didn't make dinner for the two maids that worked along side her. "Sir Henry also said not to make him anything tonight as he's dining with the Queen."

"So am I," Emma whispered in reply. She thought she'd said it too quietly and Laverne hadn't heard at first as the cook didn't say anything. Emma then looked up and saw the look of shock on her face. "What?"

"You're dining with the Queen?" She repeated. "No maid has ever, _ever_ , dined with the Queen."

Emma shrugged. "It's for saving her father apparently. I mean I didn't really do anything." She finished her tea and went to stand up. "Either way, I can't really be late."

She quickly hurried out of the kitchen, leaving the cook to sit in shock in silence. Emma couldn't take her silent surprise any longer. She had to get out of there.

She checked her watch, thankful that it still worked despite being back in time, and saw that it was coming up to four. She had three hours until she had to meet the Queen. She decided to make use of the time and go take a long bath.

Sighing, she picked up what she needed. Already she was missing central heating and indoor plumbing. She also missed her phone as she realised she must have dropped it before falling into the portal. Though really, what good would it do to have it? It wouldn't make calls through time and space and she'd have no way of charging it.

The bathroom was easy to find and she quickly started heating the water on the nearby fire while she got the homemade herbal shampoo ready. She wished once more that she had her magic back and could fill the bathtub with hot bubbly water where she could sit and relax, but alas no, she had to do it, quite literally, the old-fashioned way.

Once all the water was ready, she quickly undressed and slipped into the bathtub. She allowed the water to sooth her body and she shut her eyes to relax. She tried not to think because she knew she'd start thinking about her family and how much she missed them. Instead, she let herself go numb and blank. She concentrated on the water flowing around her body and imagined she was in her bathtub in Storybrooke, surrounded by bubbles and scented candles. She'd most likely have some soothing piano music on in the background.

When she was finally relaxed and clean, she stepped out of the bath and headed back to her bedroom. She looked in the draws in her desk and saw there was a little bit of makeup. She used what she could to blacken her eyelashes and coat her lips before going through the wardrobe, hoping to find something suitable.

It took a while as most dresses were too plain, but she found a light blue dress at the back. It still wasn't special, but it was nicer than her work dresses. It had short sleeves and dipped slightly at her chest, flowing out and ending just above her knees. Once dressed, she headed towards the sitting room and sat before the blazing fire to see if that would dry her hair quicker. She kept running her fingers through it, so it wouldn't get knotty. It took a while, but her hair was finally dry enough to seem decent. She returned once more to her room to check her watch which she'd left on her bedside table. It was coming up to six forty-five. As she wanted to make a good impression, and the fact she didn't actually know where she was meant to be going, she decided to leave.

She followed endless corridors and had to ask a couple of guards for directions, but she soon found where she was meant to be. The final guards opened the door and she was met with a long marble table. It was set with three places. One at the end, where Emma presumed Regina would sit, and one either side. There were two large candles in the centre but there was nothing else there. The table just sat waiting to be filled.

Looking around the room, Emma realised that she was alone as the guards had left the room. Unsure of what to do, she stepped out to the balcony and gazed at the vast land. She couldn't recognise much but she thought she could vaguely see her parents' castle that was yet to be theirs in the distance. She wasn't sure who lived there at the moment, but part of her wished to visit while she was there, to see the place she would be born.

"It's unusual for the guest to arrive first," remarked a husky voice from behind.

Emma span around and was met with the teasing brown eyes of the Queen. As usual, Regina was dressed to perfection. She wore a burgundy dress that fit her like a second skin. It was high at the front but was backless aside from the golden threads that weaved like a corset fastening. Emma felt her face flush as she took in the Queen and knew her eyes were subconsciously darkening.

"I didn't want to be late, your Majesty," Emma replied before curtsying deeply. "May I say, you look absolutely beautiful."

She looked up and saw Regina look shocked, so unused to receive such a compliment. The corner of the Queen's mouth quivered as if she was fighting a smile and Emma smiled, knowing that she was actually getting through the evil and just see the Queen. She opened to her mouth to reply but was cut off as Henry entered the room.

"Sorry, I'm late!" He called as he walked in. "I lost track of time while reading my book." He crossed the room and took his daughter's hand and kissed it. "You look wonderful, your Majesty." He then turned to Emma and the blonde was surprised when he repeated his actions. "As do you, Emma."

Emma blushed. "Thank you."

Henry smiled brightly. "Tonight, you are not my maid. You are my saviour."

It took all of Emma's control not to laugh at the term. Fortunately, Regina and her father didn't seem to notice as they walked over to the table.

As predicted, Regina sat at the top of the table and Henry automatically took the seat to her left, leaving the right to be taken by Emma. She quickly walked over and sat beside the Queen. She tried her best not to stare at her beauty but found herself slipping at odd moments.

Soon the food was brought out, there were three platters, one of chicken, one of potatoes and a final one full of vegetables.

"This looks wonderful," Henry commented.

Another server then brought out a bottle of wine, splitting it between their three glasses.

"A toast!" Henry called as he picked up his glass. Regina rolled her eyes and Emma giggled quietly at the scene. "To Emma, for saving me!"

Emma blushed once again but held her glass up too. Regina picked up her glass and brought it to the middle, but she didn't take her eyes off Emma as she repeated, "to Emma," and Emma thought her heart was going to burst with happiness.

The meal was going down well, the food was delicious. The wine was replenished quickly whenever she was halfway through and she was starting to feel a slight buzz.

"Have you had any more luck regaining your magic?" Regina asked Emma.

The blonde shook her head. "I don't really know much about it, I'm still learning, so I don't know what to try to bring it back."

"What were you thinking when it came back last time? Perhaps that's the best place to start?" Henry suggested.

At this, Emma didn't know how to respond. She couldn't exactly tell the truth that she was thinking about how much she cared for the woman sat in front of her, either version, or the fact that she wanted to wipe the smugness off the man that would become her future partner because she was jealous that he got her.

"I just wanted to do what I could to help you, Sir," she settled on. It was partially the truth and it seemed to be a good answer as Regina smiled softly.

"You know, Regina, I was thinking that perhaps you should be the one to work with Emma to get it back," Henry murmured.

Regina looked at her father, her brow furrowed, not quite sure what he was playing at. This was the first time that he'd ever invited one of his maids to dine with them, as it had been his idea. Now he was suggesting the two spend time with each other. He was up to something, she just couldn't figure out what it was.

"I wouldn't want to disrupt her Majesty's day!" Emma said quickly, not wanting to get between the Queen and her father.

"Nonsense, I don't have much to do at the moment," Regina replied, surprising herself at how quickly she agreed. "We start tomorrow."

"I'm not free until Sunday, your Majesty," Emma said regretfully.

"I'm sure Esmeralda can spare you for an hour," Henry said. "In fact, I'll tell her myself, but I'll say that you're working on something for me. It's probably best your magic isn't announced until it's back."

Emma looked up at her boss in surprise but smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

The servers then came over and took away their plates, before replacing them with dessert which was something in chocolate. Emma wasn't sure what it was, but it was just as delicious as the main. The conversation got lighter, discussing what each had done during the day, but Emma stayed quiet, not wanting to join in.

Instead, she watched how Regina and her father interacted. It reminded how Emma of how Regina interacted with their Henry. Her eyes were full of love and her smile was genuine. She seemed so relaxed in his presence and she laughed at his jokes. She looked so much younger than when she was in Storybrooke and just so at ease despite ruling and searching for Snow. Emma felt her breath catch and she tried to ignore it. It could not be possible. She was definitely not allowed to be falling in love with the Evil Queen because if she did, she'd never want to get home and she needed to. She had to get back to her family and she desperately wanted to get back to her son.

"Emma?"

The blonde blinked a few times and shook her head. She saw both Henry and Regina were looking at her. The latter looked confused but the former just smiled. "Sorry, I mused have zoned out. Is everything okay?"

"I was saying I'm going to retire for the evening," Henry said softly.

Emma nodded. "I'll walk with you."

"No, don't leave on my account," he said hurriedly. "I'm sure Regina wouldn't mind the company."

Regina looked at her father in shock before rearranging her features and smiling. "Of course not."

The three stood from the table and Henry hugged his daughter. "Goodnight."

Henry left the room, leaving Emma and Regina alone. Neither knew what to say as they stood there.

"I can go if you prefer?" Emma said softly. "I won't tell your father if you don't want."

To the blonde's surprise, the Queen laughed. It was her melodic laugh that warmed Emma's core. "You're refreshing. Most people are terrified of me or want one thing from me," Regina admitted.

"I want whatever you wish to give me, your Majesty." Emma paused at her words, realising what they could mean and she could have sworn Regina's breath hitched at the comment, but she didn't want to believe that was true.

"Would you care for a glass of cider?" Regina asked to get the conversation away from the dangerous track it was taking.

"I'd love one," Emma replied and she was reminded of the first night that the two met. When Emma brought Henry back and Regina offered her a glass of cider.

"Come, we'll go to the sitting room."

Emma followed the Queen's lead. They walked for a few moments down a corridor until Regina stepped into a smaller room that only consisted of a sofa and a rug in front of a coal fire. The Queen waved her hand and the fire was lit, the flames dancing and illuminating the room. She waved her hand once more and a decanter of cider along with two glasses landed on the small table in front of the sofa.

"Take a seat," Regina offered, motioning to the sofa.

Emma didn't hesitate and sat down quickly. Surprisingly, when Regina sat down, she sat beside her and not at the other end. The blonde was so temped to reach out and rest her hand on her knee, but she knew she couldn't. Instead, she squeezed her own knee as to keep it under control.

Regina didn't seem to notice as she poured out two small glasses of cider. Emma sat back and watched, enjoying the reflection of the fire in the Queen's eyes, brightening them and making her eyelashes look longer.

Before she knew it, Regina was holding out a glass for Emma to take. She took it quickly and clinked it gently against the Queens before taking a sip. Her eyes shut and she moaned quietly at the familiar taste coating her tongue. She felt a drip start to fall on her lip and quickly flicked out her tongue to lick it off. She only looked up when she heard Regina's breath hitch for definite this time. She saw the already deep brown eyes darken a fraction more.

She knew this could get dangerous, so she decided to say something to stem her thoughts. "You don't need to help me with my magic," she said quietly. "I can try and figure it out myself."

"Nonsense," Regina repeated and waved her off. "If I don't help, you'll have to go to the imp and I don't trust him with something as pure as you." Emma didn't know how to reply, so she didn't. "In fact," she leant forward and placed her glass back on to the table and took Emma's out of her hands and placed it beside it, "I'll try to see what's blocking it now."

Emma presumed the Queen would just waved her hand over her to assess the matter, but she didn't. Instead, she instructed Emma to stand up before she stood in front of her. She stepped close, just like they had the night before. Emma could hear and feel her heart start to hammer in anticipation.

Then Regina took Emma's hands in hers, running her thumbs over her knuckles, as she concentrated on them as if trying to find the answer there. Before the blonde knew it, she'd taken a step closer and there was barely a breath between them. At the closer contact, Regina's head snapped up and brown eyes met the dazzling green of the blonde's and Emma heard her breath hitch once more.

Emma licked her lips in anticipation as she made eye contact with the Queen. She swore she could see the desire reflected in the chocolate brown. She shut her eyes and held her breath as she gathered all her nerve and slowly leant forward, closing the gap between them. Just as she was convinced she was about to feel Regina's lips press against hers, she suddenly felt herself be thrown across the room and into the wall. She hit it with a bang and cried out in pain.

Within seconds, Regina was in her face once more, but she looked livid. "What the hell are you playing at!? Don't you dare try that again!" She hissed, venom dripping in her voice. "I am _the_ _Queen_!" She waved her hand and a fireball lit in her palm. "Be fortunate that my father likes you otherwise you'd be ash."

Emma tried to speak but when she opened her mouth, all she could taste was salt and she realised she was crying. Before she could utter her apology, the Queen waved her hand once more and the next thing Emma knew was she was lying fully dressed on her bed.

Without even bothering to undress, she rolled over and buried her head into the pillow and cried into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma woke up the next morning at the sensation of someone sitting down on her bed. There was a faint light shining through her window, a little more than normal. Slowly she blinked and Esmeralda soon came into focus. Her green eyes were filled with concern and she was wearing a kind smile.

"Morning sleepyhead," she said softly.

"What time is it?" Emma asked hoarsely, her throat was so dry from crying most of the night.

"Just after eight," Esmeralda revealed.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Emma cried and shot up. She was over an hour late for work. "How come you didn't wake me up sooner?"

"I knocked on the door earlier as always," the other maid replied, "but you didn't come for breakfast. Laverne told me where you were for dinner and we put two and two together." Emma cringed, expecting the other woman to grill her but instead, she simply stood up. "There's some fruit on the table you can snack on and it's Thursday, so it's washing day. Do you know where everything is?" Emma nodded. "Great, I'll see you at lunch time."

And with that, Esmeralda left the room.

Slowly, Emma stretched out allowing her back to crack satisfyingly. She felt so bad that she'd slept through Esmeralda's wake up call and felt even guiltier that she'd been allowed to sleep in. She was also glad that the brunette hadn't asked how the evening had gone because she didn't want to talk about it, not in the slightest.

With a long sigh, she finally climbed out of bed. Looking down, she saw she was still in her dress from the night before. She all but ripped it off her body and threw it into a heap in the corner of her room, not wanting to associate herself with it. Instead, she quickly dressed in one of her work dresses and threw her hair up onto the top of her head. She took in a deep breath and left the room and headed to work.

She didn't bother heading to the kitchen as she wasn't hungry, so she headed to the washing room and started her work, throwing herself into it. She concentrated on washing Henry's shirts, hoping that the cleaner the shirts became, the clearer her thoughts would become but alas, it didn't seem to work.

All she could think of was the look of fury on Regina's face. Had she really read her signals that wrong? All her life, she'd be able to see what people were thinking and she could always tell when people were lying and last night, when Regina yelled at her, she wasn't lying. She truly was so enraged at the fact Emma had tried to kiss her. As always, it had been one step forward and ten steps back. At this rate, she'd never make it home.

Half way through her work, she had enough of her negative thoughts. She knew Snow wouldn't be proud. She finished hanging up the last batch of clothes onto the line before heading back inside. She headed to the small library in search of a roll of parchment and something to write with. She found a quill and a small pot of ink. Sitting down, she commenced her letter.

 _Dearest Queen,_

 _I cannot express how sorry I am about what happened last night. I have no excuse than just misreading the situation and wishful thinking._

 _I want to thank you for not terminating my employment and I promise I will not repeat my actions._

 _Just know that I meant everything I said last night._

 _I really am sorry, your Majesty._

 _Ever your faithful servant,_

 _Emma_

She composed at least four letters. The first one wasn't formal enough. The second just didn't have the right meaning and in the third, she just said what she was feeling but knew that she could never send that.

After at least twenty minutes, she finished her letter. She created a makeshift envelope and slipped the letter inside and addressed it. All she had to figure out now, was how to get the letter into the Queen's hands. In the end, she just decided to give it to a guard to pass along. She glanced at her watch, that she had tucked into her apron, and saw that it was close to lunch time. Quickly, she picked up her letter and headed towards the castle.

She followed the endless corridors and was surprised to see them empty. She didn't come across any guards until she was right outside the Queen's chambers.

"The Queen is not to be disturbed," one said as he saw Emma approached.

"I don't want to go in," Emma revealed hurriedly. "This was delivered to Sir Henry's cottage by mistake." Yes, that was a blatant lie, but she knew the guard wouldn't question it. From Henry's book, they weren't the cleverest, which was proved when he nodded and held his hand out for the letter, not even querying the lack of wax seal.

"I will see to it that she receives it," he assured her and snatched the letter out of her hand and knocked on the door. Emma heard Regina call out permission to enter and frowned at hearing her voice. Part of her wanted to peak through the gap in the door and see her, but she daren't. Instead, she quickly spun on her heel and headed back to Henry's quarters for lunch. She still wasn't particularly hungry, but she knew she had to make an appearance.

Once she entered the kitchen, she saw both Esmeralda and Laverne sitting at the table, eating a bowl of soup. Both paused their conversation and looked up at Emma.

"There you are," Laverne said softly. "We were starting to get worried."

"Sorry, I lost track of time," Emma murmured as she took the last chair. She pulled a bowl of soup towards her, suddenly ravenous. However, this disappeared once more rather swiftly. Looking up, she saw that both the other women were staring at her expectantly. "What?"

"So how was dinner with the Queen?" Laverne asked. Emma had been halfway through bringing a spoonful of soup to her mouth. Instead the spoon clattered to the table at the question, sending soup everywhere but the other two didn't seem to notice.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied quietly.

"Oh, come on, you woke up late and Laverne said she didn't hear you come back," Esmeralda added. She raised her eyebrows in jest.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it!" Emma repeated with a bite to her voice. She shot up, scraping her chair back loudly. "If you'll excuse me."

She didn't wait for a response before leaving the room and heading to her bedroom to hide until her lunch break was over.

For the rest of the day, she kept to herself until all the washing was done. She nipped back to her room before dinner, half hoping to see another letter waiting for her but there was no such thing.

Instead, she took in a deep breath and headed back to the kitchen for dinner. Esmeralda wasn't there, it was just Laverne. At first, the cook didn't even make note that Emma had arrived and Emma didn't want to announce her entrance. She simply sat at the table.

A few moments later, Laverne turned, holding two plates of food. She placed one in front of Emma and one in front of herself. The plate was filled with what looked like turkey and some vegetables.

"This looks delicious, Laverne," Emma said, hoping the compliment would distract the cook from her earlier attitude.

"Thank you," Laverne replied with a soft smile.

"Where's Esmeralda?" Emma asked, realising the other maid hadn't joined them. She took a bite of her food and hummed in pleasure. After not eating all day, it was beautiful. It also helped that Laverne was a superb cook.

"She's just finishing off her chores for the day and then she's leaving for a few days for some time off with her family," Laverne said. "Her husband is back from a mission."

Emma didn't know much about Esmeralda's family life. She knew that she didn't live at the castle but lived in the small village next door with her husband and son. During the day, her son stayed with a family friend or his father when he was there. She didn't know their names or where her husband went to.

"She's leaving?" Emma repeated. She wasn't sure of the protocol if the brunette wasn't there.

Laverne nodded as she finished her bite. "Don't worry, child, you will be instructed on what to do in her absence before she leaves."

Emma nodded and continued eating her dinner, hoping that if she was unable to talk, the earlier conversation wouldn't replay.

After they finished eating, Emma help Laverne with the dishes as always before heading to her room. She'd barely shut the door behind her when there was a timid knock. Esmeralda's shy smile greeted her on the other side of the door.

"Hey, can I come in for a few minutes?" She asked.

Emma nodded and stood back and motioned to the bed or the desk chair. "Take a seat."

As normal, Esmeralda perched on the side of Emma's bed. At first, Emma didn't know if she should sit at her vanity but just shrugged and sat beside the brunette. She knew why she was there, so she waited for her to speak.

"I completely forgot to tell you that I'm going away this weekend," Esmeralda said. "I meant to tell you when you first started that you'd be alone from tonight until Tuesday morning."

"Laverne told me so it's okay," Emma assured her. "I'm just more worried that I don't really know what I'm doing."

Esmeralda nodded and smiled reassuringly. "I know, that's why I'm here. It's not difficult. Sir Henry picks out what he wants to wear the next day, the night before. He just needs help with his buttons and fastenings, but you won't see anything you don't want to!" She laughed and Emma joined in, finally smiling for the first time that day. "You won't have to cover many of my other duties as I've finished most off." She then turned a little serious. "His sling should be able to come off tomorrow so just stretch his arm gently and that should be fine. Now, if he gets ill while I'm away, you know where everything is kept don't you?" Emma nodded. "And if you get confused over any of the medications, Laverne should be able to help and if not, call one of the guards to get the royal doctor. Do you have any questions?"

It was a fair bit of information to wrap her head around, but Emma understood most of it. In all honestly, she just wished she had her magic back because then she'd be able to heal him straight away if he got ill.

"No, I've got it, thanks," Emma replied and smiled. "I hope you have a lovely weekend."

Esmeralda grinned. "Thank you! It's been so long since I've had so much time off and I'm so excited to see Phoebus, my husband. He works away a lot; he's a sword maker and has to travel and deliver them. He should be back for a while now, so it'll be nice to have him home and spend some time with him and our son."

"I bet," Emma said, somewhat sadly. She wished she could be home to spend time with her son.

She missed Henry so much. She couldn't wait to cuddle him and tickle him, just to hear his laughter and watch him smile. She loved the odd times she and Regina would team up against him. One would pin him down while the other tickled him. It was family time at its finest, but those were few and far between now Regina was dating Robin. Emma couldn't remember the last time she was at the mansion and Robin wasn't already there. Joint tickle fights had all but diminished.

"Are you alright?" Esmeralda asked softly, noticing that Emma was frowning sadly.

Looking up, Emma realised that she'd zoned out. "What? Yeah, I'm fine!"

"You know we were only joking earlier about your dinner with the Queen," Esmeralda said. She bit her lip nervously hoping Emma wouldn't get angry like she had done before. "If it helps, I overheard some of the guards earlier talking about her. She was in a foul mood last night which lasted until this morning. They were all really confused this afternoon when her mood seemed to disappear. Apparently, she got a letter and suddenly she was _smiling_! I didn't even know that was possible."

That seemed to get Emma's attention. "She was smiling about a letter?" She asked.

The brunette maid eyed the blonde before shrugging if off. "Yes, why?"

Emma shrugged, trying to act casual but failing miserably. "No reason. When do you leave?"

Naturally, Esmeralda noticed the sudden conversation change but allowed it. "I'd better head off now." She stood up and headed to the door. "Have a lovely weekend, Emma."

"You too."

And with that, Esmeralda left the room, leaving Emma to her own thoughts once more.

So, Regina was happy about a letter she'd received. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that it was about Emma's letter, but she was happy in the afternoon and Emma handed over the letter around lunchtime. It might not have been about her letter, but a girl could dream.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma was still woken up by a knock on the door, but it was a heavier knock and less rhymical than normal. With a groan and after rubbing her eyes, Emma slipped out of bed. She was about to get dressed when the knock was repeated, louder than before and she realised this mustn't be Laverne waking her.

Confused, Emma headed to the door, quickly slipping a night gown over her cotton top. Upon opening the door, she was greeted with a slightly disgruntled guard. He was dressed in black but, for once, wasn't wear the black mask and Emma could see his face. She tried to figure out if she recognised him from somewhere in Storybrooke, but she couldn't think of anyone.

"Can I help you?" She asked, putting her thoughts back on track.

"Are you Emma?" The man questioned gruffly in return.

"Yes?" Emma replied, her voice rising at the end with nerves.

"I'm to take you to the Queen," the guard revealed and Emma's eyebrows shot up to her hairline in shock.

"What? Why? I have to see to Sir Henry this morning."

"I have been assured that he is seen to by the cook. Now, you must come with me."

"Can I at least get dressed?!" Emma had once before greeted Regina in her pyjamas but didn't think now was the best time to repeat those actions.

"No."

And with that, the guard tugged on Emma's arm and almost dragged her from the room. She tried not to stumble as she was pulled through the corridors. The guard was not letting go and she wouldn't be surprised if her skin bruised under his harsh grip. She didn't bother to ask him what was going on. She knew she wouldn't get a reply. Instead, she stayed silent and just went along with the ride.

After minutes of endless corridors and multiple twists and turns, they finally reached the sitting room where shit had hit the fan barely thirty-six hours ago.

"You are to wait here," the guard commanded. He pushed her down on the sofa and before turning and exiting the room.

Emma didn't know what to make of it. She expected the Queen would be capable of doing something like this, but Emma honestly had no idea what was going on. She tried not to look around the room, to remember what had happened. To see the particular spot in front of the fire where the two had almost kissed or to look over to the wall where she had crashed painfully into. Instead, she concentrated on the flames, dancing in the fireplace, and tried not to remember the way they flickered in Regina's eyes, brightening them, adding a new depth to them that she'd never noticed before.

She got so lost in her thoughts of the Queen, she didn't hear the door open announcing her arrival.

"I expect everyone to stand when I arrive!" Regina demanded upon entry. She crossed the room until she was stood almost a metre away from Emma, knowing not to get too close. The shout knocked Emma out of her daydreams and she quickly shot to her feet.

"Of course, your Majesty, I apologise!" Emma replied quickly and curtsied low. She refrained from stepping closer, knowing that that wouldn't help the current situation.

When she stood, she saw Regina looking at her with an intrigued impression on her face before her eyes scanned down and took in what Emma was wearing. The gown she'd put on wasn't particularly long and only reached midway down her thighs and Emma hadn't fastened it. Regina smirked and Emma shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze and pulled the gown tighter across her body.

"May I ask what I'm doing here?" Emma asked quietly.

"You never arrived yesterday for your magic lesson," Regina replied stiffly. "All you sent was that measly letter."

At that, Emma's heart sank. It was confirmation that the Queen's good mood wasn't from receiving her letter. She should never have gotten her hopes up. She should have known that would never have been the case.

"I presumed the lesson would be cancelled," Emma said and fought her instincts to shrug it off.

"I promised my father I would help you, so I will." Regina stood straight but couldn't fight the smile when talking about her father. "I leave in an hour for a mission, so it has to be now. I arranged for someone to see to my father this morning as I know the other maid has graciously been given a couple of days leave." With her tone, Emma was sure that Regina didn't agree to that particular act of kindness. "Now, I will ask you to try some things and you will attempt to follow my instructions. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Good." Regina nodded. Emma wasn't quite sure what she was nodding at, but she didn't say anything. "I couldn't get a read on what was blocking you, so I will start with the basics." She coughed as to not allow either of them to delve into what had happened that night. "Firstly, what is magic?"

Emma fought off the urge to raise her eyebrow and laugh. Regina had asked her the same question during the first time she'd tried to teach Emma magic.

"Emotion," the blonde replied and Regina nodded again.

"Good. Now, what was the powerful emotion that you used?" She asked.

Emma knew she was secretly assessing if Emma had good magic not. If Emma said anger, it meant she would have dark magic and that would probably threaten Regina. However, if she said love, she would probably be ridiculed but she knew it was better to be honest as it was the best way to get her magic back.

"I, umm, love," she whispered, unable to meet the Queen's gaze.

"I see," she murmured, almost as quietly. "Is there a person in mind?" She asked slowly, in a tone that Emma couldn't describe and she tried not to read too much to it.

Slowly, Emma looked up and met the Queen's eye at last. "My son."

At the revelation, Regina's eyes widened in shock, then they seemed to fill with a slight sadness and then nothing. She schooled her features as if nothing had happened. She swallowed thickly.

"I don't think this is going to work," Regina said after a few minutes of silence. "I don't know how to work with this," she seemed to add in a quiet mutter to herself before looking up at the blonde. "I cannot help you."

 _Ding!_ For the first time in the Evil Queen's presence, Emma's lie detector had gone off. Regina had lied. She wasn't quite sure which statement was the lie, but it was embedded in one but before she couldn't think more of it, Regina suddenly flicked her wrist and disappeared in a swirl of purple. All Emma could do was stare at where she'd been standing not twenty seconds ago, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.

 _A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far! The last chapter didn't seem to get much love. As always, let me know what you think, even if it's a little criticism. I can work with that and play with things to make it better, I can't do that if I don't know what you think. I do want to thank everyone for the follows and favourites, that always makes me smile! Let me know what you think so far, or what you think is going to happen next! Until the next chapter! Love, Emss x_


	6. Chapter 6

By the end of the day, Emma was no less confused by what had happened that morning and still as miserable as she had been the day before. She kept herself busy with her chores, and with the odd additional job that Esmeralda usually did, Emma didn't particularly have much time to think about the Queen.

She was also grateful that Laverne hadn't mentioned anything about having to dress Henry that morning when they had their dinner. In fact, neither of them really said anything at all. Laverne seemed to just watch the blonde, wondering what had happened during her dinner with the Queen. She daren't ask again, especially after Emma's reaction the previous day, but she wanted to know. Not to tease, but to help. She knew there was something strange about her, she wasn't the most usual girl, but she was becoming rather fond of her and didn't want her to be sad which she clearly was. However, she knew not to push and allowed her to feel sorry for herself for now.

Emma left the kitchen to head back to her room until her final task of the day. She lit one of the candles on her vanity before she slipped her apron off and hung it on the sole hook on her wall. She removed her watch out of her pocket and slipped it into the small pocket on her dress. She had no idea how others kept track of the time, but she was very glad that it had fallen through the portal with her. She then picked up the book she had on her bedside table and settled on her bed. Opening the book, she let herself get lost to pass the time.

Before long, it was time for Emma to go undress Henry for the evening. She reluctantly got out of bed and blew out her candle before heading towards Henry's private quarters. The walk wasn't very long from her room and soon enough, she was knocking on the door of his bedroom. She could hear a faint coughing from the other side of the door, but it was stifled as Henry called out for Emma to enter.

"Ah good evening, Emma," Henry greeted with a smile after she walked in.

"Good evening, Sir, have you had a good day?" Emma asked as she made her way over to him.

Henry nodded. "Yes, but it'll be much better when I can get rid of this sling." He raised his sling with a grunt and Emma remembered what Esmeralda had said the day before.

"Oh, you can take it off now," Emma said and Henry beamed, she'd never seen him look so happy. She untied the knot at the top and allowed his arm to fall slowly. She gently stretched it out and moved it from left and right to help him regain feeling.

Henry stretched out his fingers. "Now that has made this day even better."

Emma smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's good to hear, Sir. Now, how can I help you this evening?"

With a few instructions, Emma did what she was told. She unbuttoned his cufflinks and helped him slip off his jacket before turning to allow him to finish changing in private. He coughed quietly to announce that he was finished.

Emma turned to face him again and picked up his dirty clothes to place them in the hamper in the washing room.

"If that is everything for today, Sir, I'll wish you goodnight," she said quietly and turned to leave.

"Wait a second please, Emma," Henry requested and Emma's heart started to beat quicker at the request. Henry was looking at her with an unreadable expression causing her nerves to escalate further. He then motioned to the armchair beside his bed where he'd taken a seat. "Please, sit."

Emma paused for a few more moments before succumbing to curiosity and perched on the end of the chair seat. However, she stayed silent.

"You seem sad, my dear, is something troubling you?" Henry asked softly.

At first, Emma didn't say anything. She didn't want to admit to the answer. She was sad for many reasons. She missed her family, especially Henry. Her heart panged whenever she thought of her son. She missed the life she was living in Storybrooke and all the modern comforts. She hated how the evening with Regina had ended and she couldn't understand what had happened this morning. More to that, she was annoyed with herself that she'd gotten her hopes up that Regina's good mood yesterday was because of her and it clearly wasn't.

Mostly though, she was sad because she felt weak and pathetic and she hated that the most. However, instead of saying all of that, she just stuck to the truth as much as she could.

"I just miss my family, Sir," she said slowly. "I'm so grateful to be here, but I wish there was a way to get back to them."

Henry regarded the blonde for a few moments before nodding his head, seeming to accept her reasoning. "Where are they?"

She couldn't say the truth, so she stuck with something that was still partially true. Neither Regina nor the storybook ever said that Henry had a built-in lie detector, but she knew it would be easier to tell the truth where possible. "They're in a different Realm and without my magic, I can't get back to them."

"I've actually been meaning to ask about that. How did your first magic lesson go?" Henry asked instead of continuing to ask about Emma's family. He could see that talking about it was making her frown deepen and he didn't want that at all. "Regina mentioned before she left that she'd started your training."

At first, Emma didn't know what to say to this either. Should she be truthful, or should she lie through her teeth about it all? She didn't know. It was getting harder and harder each day. Part of her just wanted to tell someone the truth about her, but Henry couldn't be that person. For one, he'd most likely never believe her, and he would tell Regina which would cause too many problems. Well, even more problems than the blonde was already facing.

"She didn't actually tell me how it went," Henry continued when Emma didn't reply. "Just that your lessons had begun."

"It wasn't very successful," Emma said eventually with a single shoulder shrug. "The Queen was unable to get a read on my magic so she couldn't figure out a way to unblock it. She then had to leave for her mission, so we couldn't go any further."

"Ah, that's a shame," Henry muttered, more to himself than to Emma. Her eyebrows furrowed at the comment, unsure what he was meaning.

"Sir?"

Henry coughed again before looking up at Emma and smiling quickly, but it didn't seem to meet his eyes. "Oh, please do ignore me. It's getting late and I'm an old man."

Emma looked confused but nodded. "I'll bid you goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Emma."

She didn't hesitate and left the room. She dropped off Henry's dirty laundry in the washing room before going towards her room. As it was getting late, she knew she should head to bed, but she wasn't tired in the slightest. Instead, she decided to go for a stroll around the castle grounds. Most of the guards knew her face by now, so she knew she wouldn't get into trouble.

She walked to the kitchen door and slipped the lock quietly, as to not disturb Laverne who slept in a room two doors away from the kitchen. Making sure she put the door on the latch so that she could get back in, she closed the door slowly to avoid the loud bang that was typical of the old door.

The night was dark and the wind was cool and she realised she didn't pick up her shawl before she left. Once more she was reminded how much she preferred modern life fashion. She could technically wear her red leather jacket which was currently hidden in the back of her wardrobe, but it would bring too much attention to her. Instead, she pulled at her long sleeves to cover her hands in an attempt to stay warm.

Along she walked, breathing in the fresh autumn air, trying to clear her mind. She had to reconsider her plan and stop getting distracted by the Queen. Whenever she was in a room with her, she lost control of her actions. She struggled to breathe. She struggled to think. She'd always known that she had a crush on Regina. It was so obvious she was sure even her clueless father was aware of it and Henry's knowing smirk confirmed that he was all too aware of it. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd be falling for the Evil Queen in such a short amount of time. There was part of her that thought it was because she already knew her, well knew what she would become, but that wasn't all. She could see how dark and angry she was, and the deep hurt that ran through her eyes made Emma want to pull her close and protect her from it all. She just wanted to help, but she knew that anything that happened now would affect the future. Yet she couldn't stop thinking that as long as she could get back to Storybrooke, that would be worth it. Just as long as she didn't mess up the past too much that Regina didn't end up casting the curse, but the way things were going, she was definitely in the element to cast the curse.

She paid no attention as she walked. She saw the odd guard who nodded in her direction but left her be. She finally took notice of her surroundings when she was halfway around the castle as she entered the royal garden and saw Regina's beloved apple tree. She sat on a stone bench which faced it. It was freezing but this was the first thing, not person, that she'd seen that also belonged now in Storybrooke. She stared at the branch that she would remove in the future and she still couldn't find it in her to regret that action. Seeing the fire blaze in Regina's eyes was magnificent because in that moment, she was her equal. Emma had done something to provoke that anger and she was proud of it. It was the same fire she saw when she'd tried to kiss her, but this time, she wasn't proud of what had happened. Sure, she was desperate to kiss her, but it was the wrong time. She had to concentrate on getting back to Storybrooke, then she could continue, or just try, to win the Queen's heart at the right time, where it wouldn't affect anything except their future.

With a sigh, she stood up and started heading back to the castle. She didn't know how long she'd been outside for but if she didn't try and get some sleep now, she would be far too tired to work the next morning. She walked quicker as the cold was starting to get to her. She pushed the kitchen door slowly and snapped it shut behind her, making sure to lock it securely.

As she walked to her bedroom, she walked past Henry's bedroom, but she could tell that something wasn't right. She got a bad feeling that was confirmed when she heard a spluttering cough. After knocking gently, but receiving no answer, she slowly opened the door.

"Sir Henry, are you alright?" Emma asked quietly. Another loud cough answered her and she rushed into the room in panic.

The fire was burning lowly, emitting a dim glow around the room. She quickly lit the candles on the mantelpiece above which cast the room in a brighter glow. She picked up the final candle and brought it over to the bed with her.

In the light, she could see Henry's face was ghostly white and dripping with sweat but then he started to shiver.

"Oh god, I'll be right back!"

She quickly placed the candlestick on the small bedside table and quickly left the room to get the emergency medical kit. She'd hoped this wouldn't happen while Esmeralda wasn't there but alas, it was. She quickly picked up a cloth and dunked it in some cold water that was in a bucket in the kitchen before picking up the medical box and headed back to Henry's room.

Not bothering to be quiet, she slammed into the door, bursting it open. She rushed over to Henry's bed. She perched on the side of his bed and placed the back of her hand on his forehead and almost hissed at how hot it was. She placed the cold cloth against his forehead and mopped his brow in an attempt to cool him down.

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't feel well earlier?" Emma chastised fondly. "This could have been prevented." She didn't know how, but she knew that it could have been lessened.

"I didn't want to worry you further," he croaked before coughing again and Emma realised that getting him to talk would not be the best idea.

"Shush," she said softly before running her fingers through his hair before quickly figuring out a plan of action.

Firstly, she got him to lean forward so that she could lift his pillows so he was slightly more upright to help relieve his chest. Once that was done, she looked into the medical box and tried to figure out what would help. There were many different herbs and leaves with little labels. She cast her mind back to what her mother had said she'd used in the past. Emma could only remember one plant and fortunately, it was for this occasion. She picked up a small handful of horehound leaves, the name she remembered because she'd laughed at it because it sounded like an insult. She knew it was meant to be mixed with something but couldn't remember that part. Instead, she crushed up the leaves in a small pot, but then realised that she needed more water for the next step of her plan.

"I'll be right back," she said once more before dashing back out of the room. Back in the kitchen, she picked up a small bowl and filled it with some cold water and a small goblet before returning to Henry's chambers.

Once back in the bedroom, she transferred the crushed leaves into the goblet and added some of the water, mixing it together. She lifted the goblet up to his lips. Henry didn't look worried at the mixtures, which gave her hope, and opened his mouth to accept the water. Slowly, she poured in a small mouthful and allowed him to swallow before repeating. She hoped and prayed to a God she didn't believe in that it would work.

After a few mouthfuls, she placed the goblet down and picked up the cloth that had slipped from his forehead. She dunked it in the small bowl of water and returned it to his forehead, pressing gently.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked. "Don't speak, just nod or shake your head."

Slowly, Henry nodded. Indeed, he looked a little better. Some of the colour had returned to his face and he wasn't sweating anymore, but he still didn't look healthy.

Emma looked back in the medicine box to see if anything would help. She saw a few ingredients that she was familiar with. Standing, she headed to the fire and poured some water in the kettle beside it before placing it in the flames to heat up. After waiting a few minutes for it to boil, she removed it and poured some in the thicker goblet beside the fire. She added some honey, liquorish and lemon juice before bringing it back to Henry.

"This is going to be hot," she cautioned and quickly added some of the horehound water, hoping it would help and also cool it down and strengthen the medicine.

Henry nodded once more, showing that he was prepared. He took a few sips and cringed at the taste but allowed Emma to keep pouring small amounts in. Soon enough, he'd drank all of it. His coughing hadn't stopped but it was quieter and much less harsh sounding.

"Try and get some sleep, Sir. I'll stay here in case you need me," Emma said softly.

"No," he whispered hoarsely. "Sleep."

Emma smiled softly and pulled the duvet around securely around him but said nothing. She mopped his brow once more and watched as his eyes fluttered and finally shut. A few moments later, his quiet snores filled the room. She packed up the items before crossing the room to blow out the candles by the fire. She kept the one beside the table lit so that she could see if Henry's face showed any signs of discomfort while he slept. She intended to stay there all night despite his request for her to sleep.

She slipped her small watch out of the small pocket on her dress and saw that it was well past one in the morning. There were still another six hours to go until she usually woke up, but she knew she had to stay. She'd initially put Henry to bed at around ten, so she must have been outside for around two hours at least, despite it not feeling that long.

Glancing around the room, she saw there was a book on the bedside table. She picked it up and opened to the first page and began to read.

Throughout the night, she made sure to glance over to Henry every few pages or so to keep an eye on him. What she would do for a hot cup of coffee to help keep her awake! For the first few hours, he remained calm but shortly after four, he started to cough once more, spluttering into the dark room. Emma short forward, throwing the book onto the floor.

"Henry!"

She quickly soaked the cloth once more and placed it on his brow before shooting forward and repeating her previous actions, making the potion concoction once more.

Henry had come to a little and willingly swallowed the drink once more. Once he'd finished, he looked up at Emma.

"You're still here?" He croaked.

"I said I'd stay," Emma replied. She stroked the side of his face fondly as she did with her own Henry. "I'll stay until you're better."

Henry smiled faintly. "Now I completely understand what my daughter sees in you," he muttered absentmindedly before falling back asleep, but Emma could definitely not sleep now.

Upon hearing that statement, her mind went into overload. Regina saw something in her? She'd confided in her father that she felt something? Just as Emma had decided to stop everything, Henry had to go and throw a spanner in the works. She tried to be angry at the comment, but she couldn't find it in herself to feel the anger. Henry's peaceful face was too calming for her to be annoyed with him. It seemed to be a common occurrence with Henrys.

She returned to the chair beside the bed, but instead of picking the book back up, she simply watched Henry as he slept. She kept rinsing the cloth on his brown so that he'd stay cool. She just hoped that he would sleepy peacefully for the rest of the night.

oOoOo

What seemed like five minutes after Henry had fallen back asleep, Emma heard a quiet whisper of her name. She blinked a couple of times before realising that she'd fallen asleep on the armchair in Henry's room. Opening her eyes, she saw a much healthier looking Henry who was smiling brightly at her.

"Good morning," Henry said. "It's been a very long time since I woke up to a sleeping woman," he joked and Emma couldn't help but smile a little, happy that he was feeling better.

"Good morning, Sir, I'm sorry for falling asleep," she said quickly. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel much better actually and please, don't apologise, if anything I should be the one saying sorry. It's my fault you were up all night," Henry said sadly.

"Don't worry, Sir," Emma assured him. "I was just glad that I heard you coughing during the night."

Henry looked at her with a slightly perplexed expression. He knew fair well that Emma wouldn't have been able to hear his coughing from her room and Emma realised that she'd slipped up.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk around the castle grounds to clear my mind," she revealed slowly. "I heard your coughing on my way back to my room."

"Well I'm definitely grateful. I dread to think how I'd feel this morning without that," Henry said. "Though I am worried about you, Emma. Will you please tell me what's going on? Or I'll have to tell you what I think is going on."

Emma glanced at the floor and shut her eyes before taking in a deep breath. The lies had to be over now, surely? But she couldn't utter the words.

After a few more moments of silence, she looked up in the kind brown eyes as Henry spoke the truth that she'd been keeping to herself for years.

"You're falling in love with my daughter."


	7. Chapter 7

The statement hung heavy in the air. As a statement it was. Henry wasn't asking Emma if she was falling in love with his daughter; he already knew it to be the truth. He'd watched the two since Emma had appeared not six days ago. He knew six days was a short amount of time to start to fall in love with someone, but he knew there was more to it than met the eye. However, what that was, he didn't know.

Emma was silent at first, she had no idea how she was meant to respond. Henry had hit the nail on the head. Instead of answering, she busied herself making another glass of the concoction from the night before. Once it was ready, she passed it to Henry who was able to drink it himself.

The silence continued to roll on for a few more minutes until Emma started to laugh quietly. She looked up and saw Henry looking at her full of worry, his goblet paused halfway to his lips.

"Am I really that obvious?" Emma asked when she stopped laughing and Henry relaxed as he realised that the blonde wasn't going mad.

He placed the goblet onto the bedside table. "Yes," he replied simply. "Look, Emma, I know people. Everyone is terrified of my daughter, but you're not. You couldn't keep your eyes off her when we had dinner. Whenever her name is mentioned, your eyes light up, and whenever you talk about her, there's a softness in your voice." He picked up the goblet and took another sip. "Then again, I could be talking nonsense." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I've said, I'm an old man."

Emma smiled softly. "You don't look that old to me, Sir." She then pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "You feel cooler now. How are you feeling?"

"You're avoiding the question," Henry pointed out instead of answering, raising his eyebrow knowingly at the blonde.

With a sigh, Emma shrugged. "There's nothing to say really, Sir. I can't deny it because you're right, but I can't tell you the whole story."

"I hope one day you will feel comfortable enough to tell me," Henry said, mistaking why Emma wasn't telling him the truth.

Emma half-smiled. "Maybe one day." She then changed the subject again. "I'd stay in bed today if you can, Sir," Emma instructed. "I'll have your breakfast sent to you soon. Please call for me if you start to feel unwell again."

"I promise," Henry assured her.

The blonde nodded and started to collect everything she'd brought into the room the night before. The bowl of water was now practically empty, so she threw the last drops onto to the fire, but it wasn't enough to put it out. She picked the now empty bowl up along with the box of herbs and started to walk to the door. Upon opening the door, she hesitated for few seconds before looking back at Henry who was regarding her peculiarly.

"Umm, please don't tell the Queen about the conversation this morning," she requested quietly. "She already hates me, I don't want to make things worse."

Without waiting for a reply, Emma left the room. She shut the door behind her and leant against it, her eyes shutting as she rested her head back. She shook her head and sighed before finally heading to the kitchen.

On arrival, she saw Laverne sitting at the kitchen table looking slightly worried. She already had Henry's breakfast tray ready and Emma's porridge was on the table.

"There you are!" Laverne cried as she saw the blonde arrived. She looked so relieved at the sight. "I went to wake you up and you weren't there and your bed wasn't slept in. I started to think the worst."

"Sir Henry got sick in the night," Emma replied quickly. "So, I stayed with him to make sure he didn't get any worse. He's feeling better now and waiting for his breakfast."

Laverne nodded. She stood and picked up Henry's tray. "I'll be right back."

Emma pulled her breakfast towards her and dug in. She'd never really been a big fan of porridge in the past, but Laverne alternated between fresh berries or apple and cinnamon which Emma adored. That morning in particular, there were large chunks of apple and a hefty amount of cinnamon. It seemed that Laverne had realised Emma had a fondness for that spice.

"He seems quite with it," the cook said as she walked back into the room. "What was wrong?"

Emma finished her bite and swallowed. "Well I couldn't get to sleep last night so I went for a walk around the castle grounds and on my way back, I heard him coughing I went to investigate," she began. She went on to describe what she'd done, including the cool cloth and the concoction she'd come up with.

"I probably wouldn't have added the liquorish, but the rest sounds reasonable," Laverne said. "He seems to be feeling better. He was reading his book when I left and asked if I'd get a message to the Queen to go see him when she returns."

At the mention of the Queen, Emma gulped as she was reminded of the conversation she'd had not an hour previously. If Laverne noticed it, she didn't say.

"I'd better get on with my work," Emma said as she stood.

She placed her dirty plate on the side and headed to her room to change. She wished she could have a quick shower but alas, that wasn't possible. Instead she threw her hair up once more and changed her dress, vowing to have a bath that evening. Once that was done, she started work.

At least four times during the day, she popped into Henry's room to see how he was doing. He'd moved from his bed to his armchair by the fire with his book in his lap, the same book Emma had been reading the night before.

After dinner, she headed to the wash room. As quickly as possible, she filled up the bath tub and got in. She didn't want to take too long as she needed to check on Henry before she went to bed. She washed her hair and her body before jumping out. She wrapped her body in a towel and headed back to her room.

She dressed in a nightdress and put her night gown on top of it. She slipped on some socks and headed to Henry's bedroom. She knocked on the door lightly and was told to enter. To her utter surprise, Henry wasn't alone.

He was back in his bed, tucked in and Regina was perching on the side of his bed. She was wearing the simple light purple dress she'd had on the other day when she'd chastised her father about wanting to visit King George. Emma was reminded once more that her simplicity was also breathtakingly beautiful. Henry glanced over to Emma and smiled in greeting. Regina, however, didn't shift her eyes away from her father.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you weren't alone," Emma muttered. "I'll just bid you goodnight."

She didn't hesitate and turned to leave but heard her name be called, however, it wasn't the deep voice she was expecting.

Looking back, she saw Regina had finally turned her head and was looking at Emma with an unreadable expression.

"Thank you for looking after him last night," she said quietly. "My father says you stayed all night, you didn't need to."

"It's like I said, I'll always save him," Emma replied just as quietly. Both were remembering what Emma had said the first time she said that, the fact that she saved Henry for Regina too. She didn't need to repeat it; the message was heard loud and clear. "Goodnight, Sir, and goodnight, your Majesty." She dipped her head and curtsied before leaving the room once more.

Once back in her own room, she divested herself of her night clothes and slipped into her bed. She had the next day off and was meant to meet Hook, but she had nothing to tell him. She told him if she didn't turn up then there was nothing to say. He knew she had alternate Sundays off, so he wouldn't go the week after. Again, she wished times were modern and everyone had phones.

With a sigh, she rolled over, about to blow out the candle on her bedside table out when there was a knock on her door. As it was late, and she was tired, she couldn't be bothered getting out of bed. She simply pulled her bedsheet higher around her chest and called, "come in!"

To her complete surprise, the person who entered was none other than the Queen! Regina looked slightly nervous to enter and rather disgruntled and unimpressed with her surroundings.

"Your Majesty!" Emma cried. "I'd stand but I'm not properly dressed."

Regina laughed quietly. "That's quite alright, it is late."

Emma nodded quickly, embarrassed that the object of her affections was so close and she was completely starkers in bed, in front of her.

"Can I help you with something?" Emma asked, pulling the cover slightly higher.

The Queen's eyes shifted, watching Emma's movement. She knew full well just how unproperly dressed the blonde was and that was not helping the situation. She cleared her throat to distract her thoughts. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my father again. It seems you really have become his saviour."

At that, Emma couldn't hold in the scoff. Regina looked at her, shocked. She didn't expect that reaction.

"I do apologise, your Majesty, but I'm no one's saviour," Emma said quickly. "He was sick, and I did what I thought would make him better. I'm nothing special."

"On the contrary," Regina muttered quietly but Emma didn't allow herself to hear that. The brunette coughed again before looking at Emma directly in the eye. "My father wishes to invite you to dinner with us again. Tomorrow at seven. Don't be late. Goodnight, Emma."

Realising the request was actually an instruction, Emma nodded. "I wouldn't miss it," she replied honestly. "Goodnight, your Majesty. Sleep well."

Regina smiled a small smile before she turned and left the room. Emma stared at the door for a few moments, not believing what had just happened. Shaking her head in disbelief, she blew out the candle and flopped back onto the bed, half dreading the next evening, half counting down the seconds.

oOoOo

The next day seemed to pass in a blur. She spent most of the day in the library, perusing the different genres of books. The blonde had always had a soft spot for a library. During her younger years on the run, she'd often taken refuge in the old buildings, surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books. She could pick one up and just get lost, pretend that the shit in her life wasn't going on. She could pretend she was going to get her Hogwarts letter any moment and fight the bad guys with a wave of her wand. She'd be in Gryffindor for definite, the house of the brave. Or she could imagine that she was a hobbit, on a quest to protect the one ring and vanquish Sauron.

There were also days where she'd crack open the classics of Charles Dickens where she could sympathise with Oliver Twist on the run or a Jane Austin book and pretend that Mr Darcy was going to come save her and whisk her away. Now thinking about it with the direction her thoughts and feelings were heading, perhaps she should have been looking for her Mrs Darcy.

Now, however, she was sitting in the far corner of Henry's quarters in the smallest library in front of the fireplace in a large armchair, a mug of tea on the table beside of her and her legs tucked underneath her. In her hands was a slightly battered copy of Her Handsome Hero. It was one she'd never read but heard Belle speak about often. The bookworm had nothing but high praises for the novel.

Within the first page, Emma was lost, learning all about Gideon's journey, learning how to forgive and show compassion. She only broke off mid-afternoon when Laverne popped her head around the door.

"There you are!" She said with a smile. "You never came for lunch, but I knew you hadn't left."

Emma looked up from her book. "Sorry, I tend to get a little lost when I read." She folded the corner of her book down and placed it on her table. "I'll come through now." She then followed Laverne back to the kitchen as she wasn't meant to eat in the other rooms.

Lunch consisted of a hearty beef stew along with dumplings that Emma wanted to eat again and again.

"I don't know how you do it, Laverne," Emma said with a smile. "Every meal is better than the one before. Where did you learn to cook?"

"I've been cooking all my life," Laverne replied. "My mother was a cook and I learnt from her. She was phenomenal. She worked for King Leopold, do you remember him? The Queen's late husband?" Emma nodded, of course she knew of him. He was her grandfather after all, but she naturally didn't say that. "So, I learnt the trade from her. I took over when she died but after the King died, I was dismissed."

"What?!" Emma gasped. She couldn't imagine why Regina would have done such a thing. Laverne's cooking was amazing.

Laverne shrugged. "Perhaps the Queen found my cooking too heavy. Though, I believe she just didn't want anything to remind her of the King."

Now that peaked Emma's interest. "How so?"

The cook frowned slightly. "Like I said, I worked for the King, I saw what he was like with Queen Eva, his first wife. He fawned over her and Snow, their daughter." Emma couldn't help but smile at hearing her mother's name. "But he just ignored the new Queen after they were married and treated her like a prize. I watched her turn from a sweet young woman to the, well, you know what she's like now. So, I don't blame her for dismissing me. I'd have done the same. I was just grateful that Sir Henry chose to keep me here."

"He is lovely," Emma agreed. "In actual fact, he's invited me to dine with him and the Queen again this evening."

Laverne's eyes widened at the comment. "You're mixing things up here, Emma. I've never known a maid to dine with the Queen and now you're doing it again." She shook her head in disbelief. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I don't have a clue," Emma said honestly and to that, Laverne just shook her head again but smiled and the two continued their meal in near silence.

oOoOo

After lunch, Emma returned to the library and once more, got lost in her book. She adored the writing style and learning about the characters. The further she delved in, the more she recognised the main character. She could see the struggle to be good and not let things get in the way of his journey to be honourable, not his past, his decisions, his experiences. The more she read, the more she saw Regina. Her journey to be good and be a hero for Henry. It was with that thought that she kept reading, learning more.

Before she knew it, it was nearing six and she needed to get ready for dinner with the Queen. She hadn't finished the book, but there were only a few pages left, but if she didn't put it down now, she would most definitely be late. The Queen would not forgive her for that.

She neatly folded the corner of the page down and placed the book on the table before heading back to her room. Along the way, she was trying to figure out what she should wear that was suitable. She only really had that blue dress, but she'd already worn it and there were too many bad memories wrapped in the fabric of the dreadful end.

However, before she could panic, it was all resolved once she opened the door to her bedroom. On her wardrobe hung a beautiful red dress. It was full length, a halter neck and looked like it would dip quite low between her breasts and synched in at her waist. It was beautiful.

She walked over and ran her fingers down the fabric, it was so soft and felt expensive. She didn't know who had left it for her, she presumed it was Henry as another thank you. As it was getting closer to seven, she quickly stripped out of the dress she was currently wearing and slipped the new dress over her head. It fit her body perfectly, as if it had been designed just for her, which she highly doubted.

She quickly did her makeup, blackening her eyelashes and rouging her cheeks, and added a swipe of red lipstick on her lips. She let her hair down from the bun it had been in during the day and let the curls settle around her shoulders. With a deep breath, and a final look in the small mirror on her desk, she left her room as it was time to head up the Queen's castle.

The journey seemed to take forever. Her thumping heart and echoing footsteps were the only sounds to keep her company as she walked. This time, the guards held the doors open for her as they saw her arrive. They didn't need her to introduce herself.

As she walked in, she saw the same view as before. A table that had three places set with two large candles central. Once more, she was the first to arrive and just like last time, she headed to the balcony to look out, hoping the calm view would calm her heart. This night could not end like the last one.

She was so lost in herself that she didn't hear the arrival of the next person until she saw them stand beside her. Emma didn't turn, she couldn't yet.

The silence was finally broken by the new arrival, but they didn't say what Emma had ever expected them to.

"I was hoping you'd wear the dress."

Finally, Emma turned and gazed upon the Queen. She was watching Emma carefully, a smirk on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes. Once more she was dressed to perfection, but more relaxed than she'd seen her. She was in a floor length black gown that shimmered in the light with the small silver diamonds threaded into the fabric. The sleeves were sheer and ended by her wrists and the sweetheart neckline left nothing to the imagination. Emma's mouth went dry and swallowed before responding.

"You gave me this?" She asked quietly.

"Indeed," Regina replied. "That blue one last time didn't suit you, you look better in red."

Emma didn't know how to respond to that, but she blushed deeply. She couldn't help but drift back to that night when she wore the blue dress.

"Your Majesty?" She said quietly.

Regina looked a little confused at the tone but hummed that she'd heard.

The blonde took a deep breath before responding. "I need to apologise for what happened that night," she said quickly. The two had never actually spoken about it. She knew she had to get it off her chest. "I should never have tried to kiss you."

The Queen's eyes widened, she clearly wasn't expecting Emma to be so upfront about it or even mention it. However, before she could even form a reply, a guard rushed into the room, breathing heavily, out of breath as if he'd been running a marathon.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, your Majesty," he panted, "but I have just gotten word from your father. He says that he won't be able to join you for dinner. He says not to worry, he is fine, but needs to stay in bed for tonight and will join you tomorrow instead."

Neither women knew what to say, both were only comfortable with the idea of this dinner because Henry was going to be there. He was the buffer as they knew they weren't safe to be left alone together.

They were in for an interesting night ahead of them.

 _A/N: I don't believe Her Handsome Hero is a real book, so I just made up the plot to fit what I wanted. As always, let me know what you think! I love hearing from you! Love, Emss x_


	8. Chapter 8

The silence seemed to last a lifetime after the guard's announcement. Emma had no idea what to say. She was relying on Henry to be there to control the conversation. Emma didn't trust herself to be alone with the Queen, she didn't know what would fall out of her mouth, or if she could even keep her mouth to herself. Instead she kept quiet and waited for the Queen to say something.

"Thank you for informing me," Regina said eventually, her tone even and crisp, not giving much away. "You may go."

The Queen turned her back on the guard as he slipped out of the room, leaving the two alone once more. She looked at Emma but before she could say anything, Emma beat her to it.

"I can leave," she said hurriedly. "I know I'm only here because your father requested it and you don't want me to be here. I know that." She started to walk to the door to make her escape. However, as she pulled on the door handle, she found it was locked.

"There's no need," the Queen said slowly. "I wouldn't be much of a host if I cancelled dinner because one of the guests couldn't make it. Though I'm unsure why, he was fine earlier when I checked up on him."

 _I know why,_ Emma thought to herself. Henry was meddling, and Emma knew it. She knew exactly why he'd feigned his illness, and it was to do with their early morning conversation after she'd stayed with him all night. He was also fine when she'd popped in to see him that morning. However, she didn't say that.

"If you're sure," she said instead. The Queen only nodded and motioned to the table. Emma took the same seat she had last time while Regina naturally took the head. A server came and removed the now unnecessary place setting for Henry before returning and pouring each of them a large glass of wine. Both women immediately took a large sip, or two, to calm their nerves for the evening ahead.

The food soon came out, an array of colours and flavours that Emma adored. The starter was a goat's cheese and olive tart. It was an acquired taste that Emma hated when she was younger but now enjoyed thoroughly. The main was a spicy chicken paella dish with greens and roasted peppers on the side. The servers kept refilling their glasses with wine and Emma lost count of how many glasses she'd had before they'd even finished their mains.

Looking up, she saw Regina was running her forefinger over the rim of her glass. The two hadn't really spoken since the food had arrived. It had simply been Emma complimenting the Queen's chef's talents. Regina hadn't replied but smiled and started to eat.

"You look troubled, your Majesty," Emma murmured, unable to keep eating as she watched the Queen nervously. "If you don't mind me saying so."

Regina didn't look up, nor did she stop circling her glass, but she frowned ever so slightly, letting the blonde know that she'd heard her. Emma stayed silent and just waited for the Queen to reply, if she replied.

"You mentioned the other morning that you have a son," she said eventually, quietly, quickly, as if not wanting to ask the question, afraid of the answer.

Emma's breath hitched and she frowned sadly, Henry's face swimming to the forefront of her mind, grinning his sneaky smirk when he was up to something and showing his pearly white teeth. She pushed her plate away, unable to eat anymore now.

"I do," she whispered. She kept her eyes down, unable to look at the woman she shared her son with, who had no idea about him at the present moment.

"Does that mean you're married?" Regina asked. "Or were married?"

That was a question Emma never expected. She looked up and saw Regina watching her carefully.

The blonde laughed quietly. "No, your Majesty, I'm definitely not married, and I never have been. It was not a planned pregnancy, but I don't really like to think of that time."

At that, the Queen nodded. "I understand. Some things are not fond memories." She swallowed as she shuddered, clearly a negative thought running through her.

"Is everything alright, your Majesty?" Emma asked. "I didn't mean to upset you. If I said something–"

"No, I'm fine," Regina said, cutting the blonde off. "If anything, I brought it upon myself." She laughed humourlessly. She clicked her fingers, summoning another server to top up their glasses. If they were getting to heavy conversations, she was going to need more liquid courage. "I've always wanted a child myself, but it wasn't to be," she revealed after shooing away the server and once more, they were alone again.

This peaked Emma's interest. She figured Regina had adopted from out of town was so that she'd be able to watch them grow, that they wouldn't be frozen in time with the spell.

"I fell pregnant once," she continued, practically whispering now. "The King was thrilled when he found out, but late one night, when he was away on business, I lost him. Yes, it was a him. I'd given the King a son and heir and he was devastated when he heard of the news. He adored _Snow_ ," she hissed the name, "and after the miscarriage, he put more focus into her and just left me to mourn alone. Never once did he ask me if I was okay, no one did. Everyone simply said they were sorry to the King because he lost his son, no one cared how I felt. He tossed me to the side and then, he died."

 _Died, yeah,_ Emma thought to herself. She knew exactly how her grandfather died and it was definitely not of natural causes. But hearing this side of him, tossing away someone as amazing as Regina because of a natural devastation was disgusting. She'd always heard her mother sing his praises, but hearing this, she'd never be able to think positively about her grandfather ever again. She didn't blame Regina for killing him.

"Then I made it all worse and took a potion that would prevent me from getting pregnant ever again," Regina said. The alcohol had loosened her tongue, making her reveal things no one else knew. But as she looked up, she couldn't help but trust the dazzling green eyes that were gazing at her, wearing an unreadable expression.

"I'm so sorry, your Majesty," Emma said softly. Now it all made sense why she had adopted Henry and hadn't just allowed Graham to get her pregnant. She couldn't help the shudder that ran through her as she imagined her fallen friend and the beauty in front of her together. "I don't know what I'd do without my son."

"You must really miss him," Regina whispered.

Emma smiled sadly. "You have no idea."

At that moment, Regina surprised her and reached out her hand, placing over Emma's. She ran her thumb lightly over the smooth skin. Emma's eyes fluttered at the feeling. She opened her eyes and saw the Queen was looking at her, again with the same unreadable expression she seemed to always wear around her.

It was then that the servers appeared once more and suddenly Regina's hand was ripped away from resting on top of Emma's and Emma immediately missed the contact. The servers took their main course plates away and replaced them with dessert. Emma couldn't help the smile when she realised it was an apple turnover. She just hoped this one wasn't laced with a sleeping draught.

"This was made by apples from my tree," Regina murmured, lightening the conversation. "The same apples as my cider," she added quietly.

"They're delicious, your Majesty," Emma replied, trying not to moan at the taste.

"You sound surprised," Regina smirked, a lilting tease in her voice.

Emma laughed quietly. "I've not had a great experience with apples in the past," she said and grimaced as Henry floated to her mind again, but this time laying on the hospital bed and the ceasing of his chest rising and falling. Her face blanched as she remembered her panic and realisation that yes, she loved her son more than anything in the world and now that she had him back, she never wanted to let him go. She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts of Henry's pale body lying there.

"Would you prefer something else?" Regina asked hurriedly, bring Emma out of her negative thoughts.

The blonde smiled fondly. "No, that's alright." She dug in once more and this time a moan did slip out, she couldn't keep it back.

The Queen's breath hitched and she subconsciously licked her lips, not realising she'd done it, but Emma noticed and her heart skipped a beat at the sight. She quickly lowered her eyes and took another mouthful of her pudding to stop her from saying something she could end up regretting.

Before they knew it, the meal was over. The servers had come and gone, taking their empty dessert plates away and cleared the decoration on the table aside from the two candles that were still lit. Emma didn't know what to do. She felt like she should excuse herself, but she couldn't find the words. She didn't want to leave. She'd learnt more about Regina tonight that she ever thought, especially while she was the Evil Queen. If she stayed, she could learn more and her heart quickened in excitement at the prospect of it.

"Would you care for a glass of cider?" The Queen asked, breaking the silence that had erupted since the servers had taken away their empty dessert dishes.

Emma looked up in shock but nodded. "I'd love one," she answered honestly, an excited smile gracing her lips.

The Queen smiled too, but somewhat nervously, and the two made their way back to the sitting room where it had all happened before. Regina repeated her actions from the previous time, she lit the fire and summoned the cider before pouring each of them a slightly larger glass than the other night. Emma perched on the sofa once more and accepted the glass. The only difference this time was that Regina sat at the opposite end of the sofa, keeping a safe distance away from the blonde. She wanted nothing more than to close the gap and have her thigh resting deliciously against the Queen's. Instead she concentrated on the cider in her hand.

The two continued the silence over their drinks. The Queen swirled her drink before taking a small sip. She hummed in pleasure at the taste, she'd made a fine batch. It was sweeter and stronger than the last and she was rather pleased with herself.

"So, Emma," the blonde's heart fluttered at the sound of her name running easily off the Queen's tongue, "you said you had today off. What did you do with your time?"

Now that was another question Emma wasn't expecting. The Queen was truly surprising her tonight. "I spent it in your father's small library," the blonde revealed after sip of cider. She also hummed at the taste, it was even better than the previous time. "I found a book my friend once recommended and spent the day reading it."

"You didn't get bored reading all day?" The Queen asked, incredulously.

The blonde smiled, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "Oh no, I could never!" Emma then found herself telling the Queen all about her love for books. She had to tweak it, naturally she couldn't tell the Queen about running away from home and ending up in old libraries. Instead, she told stories of finding small book stores and sneaking in and finding a good book. "The owner never minded because I was always so careful with the books. Nothing is better than getting lost in a story, the words coming to life in your mind and picturing what's going on. I love snuggling in front of a fire, my legs tucked up and a book in my lap. It's when I'm at my most comfortable. So yeah, that's what I did today. What did you do?"

Regina seemed shocked that Emma actually care enough to ask the question back. "I had a meeting this morning with my treasurer and other men who think they can tell me what to do." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Then I had many letters to write and it got rather dull after the tenth, so I ended up casting a duplication spell and did the other twenty that way."

"What were the letters about?" Emma asked. "If you don't mind my asking, of course," she added hurriedly when Regina raised her eyebrow, but then she laughed.

"You really are refreshing, do you know that?" Regina asked rhetorically. "And oddly, I don't mind at all."

Emma's brow furrowed at the words. "You don't?"

"Not at all." She took a sip of her cider and a deep breath. "It was actually just a peace declaration, withdrawing my men from some towns as Snow White hasn't been seen there in many months. I'm sending my men elsewhere to be more useful."

Emma took a long sip of her cider instead of replying. She didn't like the way the conversation was going. She could hear stories about Regina and her grandfather and keep a somewhat neutral expression. Even talking about Henry was easier as she didn't have to hide her feelings. If Regina started speaking about Snow, Emma didn't want her true feelings for her mother to interfere. She couldn't agree with the Queen because she loved her mother and knew she wasn't really in the wrong, but she couldn't disagree either. It was easier to just stay far away from all things Snow White.

With a heavy heart, she realised it was probably time to be getting back to her chambers. She needed to check on Henry to make sure he was okay before getting a decent night's sleep. She had one final day of looking after Henry before Esmeralda returned on Tuesday morning.

"I should probably get going," she said slowly, diverting the conversation. She placed her now empty glass on the table in front of her and started to stand up.

Regina looked surprised at the sudden departure. She placed her empty glass on the table beside the blonde's and stood too but made sure to stay just a few steps away from the blonde.

Emma took a step towards the door, but that was also a step towards the Queen. She took a deep breath, the alcohol fuelling her next sentence.

"I still need to apologise for what happened the first night we were in here," she said. "I should never have done what I did and I should have apologised in person, not cowardly through a letter."

The Queen didn't reply at first. She did, however, take a step closer to the blonde.

"Don't apologise," she said quietly, slowly. "It threw me off guard. Everything did." Emma was about to ask what precisely threw her when the Queen continued. "My father has never been injured or even that sick ever, in my entire life, and then you come along and in one week, he's shot in the arm and has a dreadful fever. Yet, you were there to save him." She eyed Emma and took a deep breath. "You seem to be the reason that he's in danger but then you're his saviour. It makes no sense."

Emma gulped, nervous at what she was hearing. She could feel her heart quickening and her palms starting to sweat. She balled them into fists so that she didn't reach forward and move the loose strand of hair that had fallen in Regina's face.

"I don't mean to be the cause of this," she all but whispered. "But I will always save him, your Majesty. Always."

Once again, Emma felt herself getting closer to the Queen, her feet moving on their own accord, unable to stop herself. Yet this time, everything felt different. Regina didn't back away, her eyes flicked to the blonde's lips before meeting the green gaze once more.

"You can't promise that, Emma," the Queen said thickly.

"I'd promise you everything, Regina," Emma swore, emphasising the Queen's name because Emma wasn't just promising the Queen that. She was also talking to her Regina. The one back in Storybrooke because she wished she could say to her too.

For the first time in years, someone, that wasn't her father, had actually called Regina by her name. The way the blonde whispered it, with so much meaning and feeling behind it, made her lose any last resistance she'd been fighting since that very first night, in that particular sitting room.

She knew that hell had taken over and her body was to burn with desire. She let her inner thoughts control her and pulled Emma closer, her hand slipping easily through her hair and connected their lips together.

Their lips had barely brushed together when a flash of light shot from them and Emma felt that familiar thrum running through her fingers.

Suddenly, Regina pulled back. "Your magic!" She gasped, her beautiful brown eyes now filled with slight panic, worry and fear. "It's back!"

"I really couldn't care less right now," Emma replied and pulled the Queen back to her. She had one hand on her hip and the other threaded through her hair as she pulled her closer, pressing their lips firmly together again.

The Queen's eyes stayed open for a second longer before fluttering shut at the sensation. She felt Emma's tongue sneak out and brush against her lips, teasing her, seeking permission to enter. As if automatically, Regina accepted Emma's tongue and for a second, allowed her to dominate the kiss before taking control.

Suddenly, Emma felt herself being pushed back, her back almost forcefully hitting the wall. But this time, Regina remained in front of her, her lips still pressed hotly against hers, their tongues battling. Emma's hand on the Queen's hip went exploring on its own accord. It slipped behind her body, going down until it rested just a mere centimetre above her ass. One little slip and she'd have one of her wildest fantasies come true.

"Regina!" She whispered as the Queen pulled back so they could breathe, both were panting heavily.

"Say it again," the Queen commanded. Gone was the panic in her chocolate eyes, and in its place was sheer lust.

" _Regina!_ " Emma repeated breathlessly before bringing their lips together once more to stop her from saying something else that was on the tip of her tongue. She fought her urge to slip her hands lower, instead bringing them up and cupping the Queen's face gently, as if she was the most precious flower. "You're so beautiful," Emma murmured before kissing her softly.

Regina blushed. "I've been told that before," she admitted. "By many a man, but hearing it from you, I actually believe if for the first time."

"As you should, your Majesty."

Emma kissed her again, gently but passionately, trying to show how she felt for the woman in front of her without uttering the words. Little did she know that Regina was thinking the same thing. Their lips brushed softly and another bright light flashed through the room before settling on Regina's stomach.

"Oh my!" She gasped, letting go of the blonde and settling her palms on her abdomen. She knew what that was. She knew what the first flash was, but she could ignore that because the magic hadn't affected her. But now, it had. It was a delay, she wasn't sure why, but she knew what it meant.

"What was that?" Emma whispered, her breath ragged from kissing.

The Queen took a deep breath and swallowed nervously. "You know I mentioned the potion earlier that I took to prevent myself from getting pregnant?" She asked and Emma nodded. "There's only one antidote to it. I considered there to be none as I didn't believe I would ever find it."

She stopped talking, not trusting her words.

Emma took hold of one of the Queen's hands, pulling it away from her body. She ran her thumb gently over her soft skin. "What's the antidote?" She asked quietly, her voice wavering with nerves, proving to both of them that they already knew the answer.

Regina looked up at met the blonde's gentle gaze before replying in an almost silent whisper. "True Love's kiss."


	9. Chapter 9

Emma couldn't reply. She had no words. If she were honest with herself, she knew what the flash of light meant. She knew that it was True Love. Only something that powerful could have brought her magic back _and_ cured Regina of the curse she'd set upon herself. She'd seen the power of True Love's kiss more than once when she and Regina had kissed Henry, breaking the curses. She just never expected Regina to be her True Love. But then again, surely that couldn't be possible? Tinkerbell had said that Robin Hood was Regina's soulmate. It wasn't possible to have more than one, right?

Regina had told her, one evening, the story of the tavern and finding the man with the lion tattoo. Tinkerbell had said that that man was her soulmate, the man she was supposed to be with. Though, she noted the use of soulmate and not True Love. Did that mean they were two separate things? Could you have a soulmate and a True Love as two separate people?

Perhaps yes, if she truly thought about it. Soulmates have been said to take many forms. It could be your best friend, your long-lost cousin or your lover. A soulmate was simply someone your soul connected with, forming a bond that nothing else could come close to. A True Love was exactly what it said on the tin. It was the truest love you'd ever have, and this was with the one you were meant to spend your life with.

Emma looked at the woman in her arms, she was beautiful and brilliant. She was kind and caring, despite what people thought of her currently. She was calm and collected. She was fiery and fierce. Mainly, she was loyal and loving, she would protect anyone she cared about and that was clear with how she treated Henry. Both her father and their son. But now, it was the way she was looking at Emma, with a look that Emma hadn't been able to explain when she first saw it. It was a look of awe and secret joy and a hope that she'd long forgotten and Emma was overjoyed that she was able to bring it out of her at long last. She didn't know how long the Queen had been in such a low but now, she was starting to come out of it and Emma couldn't be happier that she was the reason.

The blonde was so lost in her mind that Regina panicked at the silence. It was only when the Queen started to pull back that Emma was snapped out of her thoughts of love. Instantly, she held her tighter, but not too tight, so that she couldn't escape.

"Don't," Emma whispered before leaning in and kissing her again and the Queen instantly relaxed at the feel. "It's not what you think."

Regina looked at her questioningly. "What are you thinking?" She asked.

"It's not important," Emma replied. "What matters is us and now." She kissed her again and the Queen deepened it immediately, seeking entrance with her tongue. She was quickly accepted, her hands threading once more through the blonde's hair.

The Queen pulled back for mere seconds so she could concentrate and moments later, after a flick of her wrist that she'd untangled from the blonde locks, they were transported to the Queen's bedroom in a cloud of smoke. Emma barely registered where she was before the sultry red lips reclaimed hers and she didn't care. She blindly led the Queen to the bed but before she could push her, gently, onto the bed, Regina flipped them and pushed Emma down instead. Her back hit the bed and she sprang back up before waving her finger in come-hither motion, a smirk gracing her face.

Sitting at the bottom of the bed, her legs spread and she pulled the Queen between them, fitting snuggly. Emma rested her head against the brunette's stomach and shut her eyes for a second, taking a moment to really register what was going on. She was about to make love, not have sex, with the woman of her dreams. However, there was a small thought at the back of her head that was telling her to tell the truth about how she knew the Queen and that she was from the future. She knew that the Regina of the future would be pissed if she kept that from her. That made her mind up. She pulled back and took a deep breath.

"Regina, before anything else happens, I have to be honest with you," Emma said quietly. She looked up and gazed upon the beautiful brown eyes.

The Queen just shook her head. "What matters is us and now," she said, repeating Emma's words from earlier. "Make love to me, Emma," she whispered and Emma couldn't refuse.

In seconds, she flicked her wrist and they were down to their underwear. Emma couldn't be happier to have her magic back. The Queen was now in a lacy black corset which showed her ample cleavage. The black thong barely covered a thing and Emma licked her lips in anticipation for what it hid.

"You're good," Regina husked as she admired the new sight below her. Emma was just as scantily dressed in a white lace bra and pantie set. The set she had been wearing when she fell into the portal.

"Only for you," Emma whispered in reply. She brought her arms up and ran her fingers down the brunette's sides and watched her shut her eyes and bite her lip at the sensation. The moan slipped out unintentionally which caused the Queen's eyes to snap open and she leant down, kissing the blonde's lips with an almost bruising force.

Emma scuffled backwards on the bed blindly, pulling the Queen with her, who crawled sensually over the blonde's body, making sure not to crush her but Emma didn't care; she enjoyed the feeling of the woman above her. She knew she had no way of being able to undo the complex ties of the corset and instead, flicked her wrist once more and it disappeared.

Immediately the Queen's nipples harden to stiff peaks at the cold, bringing them to Emma's attention even more. She reached up and cupped them in each hand, enjoying the weight to them and brushed each nipple with her thumb lightly, causing the Queen to moan in delight.

She looked up and caught the Queen's eye as she wrapped her lips around her right nipple, enveloping it in her hot mouth. Her tongue swirled around it three times before she nipped it softly, testing the boundaries. At the introduction of her teeth, Regina's hips bucked against pubis bone and Emma gasped out in pleasure, the contact so close yet so far from her core. She bit down a fraction harder and Regina bucked once more, harder, and Emma lost it. With a surge of strength, she flipped them so that Regina was lying on her back in the centre of the bed. Her legs rested either side of the Queen's hips, their cores a breath away from each other.

Regina looked up in surprised at the sudden movement, but her eyes darkened even further. Emma smirked before leaning back down and taking her other nipple in her mouth, giving it the same treatment of laves and nibbles. Soon she started making her way further down, she trailed her tongue down the Queen's side, pausing to kiss or nip random points to keep her on her toes.

As she reached level with the Queen's underwear, Regina lifted her hips to allow the blonde to slip them off. But instead, Emma ignored the movement, pretending it never happened. She went straight past the black fabric, licking, nipping and kissing down the tanned smooth leg. She reached her ankle, kissing it softly before repeating her treatment up her other leg.

Slowly, but surely, she inched her way up to the Queen's core and even in the black fabric, Emma could see the wet patch growing and her mouth watered, knowing that she had caused that. She licked her lips in anticipation and moved to finally remove the Queen's underwear. However, just as she hooked her fingers at each side, she smirked and stopped and Regina glared.

"Take them off already!" She commanded, her voice thick with desperation and lust. "Please!"

Emma's smirk grew before she lowered her head. She kissed the Queen exactly where she wanted her through her panties.

"Emma!"

At the cry of her name, the blonde couldn't take anymore. With a final flick of her wrist, the black thong disappeared and before the cold could hit her, Emma's mouth replaced it. Her mouth settled immediately around the Queen's tight bundle of nerves. She swirled her tongue around her clit, over and over, never letting up. The room was filled with Regina's curses and cries of Emma's name and it was a symphony to Emma's ears. She licked from the Queen's sopping hole back to her clit, circling once before shuffling slightly lower on the bed. She wrapped her arms around the Queen's legs, spreading her further, before thrusting her tongue deeply into her. Every other time, her nose nudged her clit more.

"More!" The Queen commanded.

Emma pulled tighter on the Queen's hips, bring her closer, trying to slip her tongue deeper but it wasn't enough. Instead, she pulled out. She kissed the crease where her thigh met her sex before unwrapping her right arm. Quickly, she thrust two fingers in deeply, curling them against her front wall at the perfect place. She knew it was perfect because Regina's hips met her thrust for thrust and she screamed Emma's name even louder than she had before.

"Kiss me!" Regina demanded and Emma didn't leave her wanting for a second. She crawled up the bed, her fingers still thrusting powerfully, and pressed her lips against the Queen's.

Faster she thrusted, curling her fingers to hit the right spot. Unable to keep kissing as she lost her breath, Emma moved her kisses down the Queen's neck before nibbling on her ear, kissing the spot just underneath.

"I'm so close!"

At the words, Emma slipped another finger in, stretching the Queen a little more and she kissed her again, all teeth and tongue before returning her lips back to her ear. She could feel the tell-tale signs of the Queen's approaching climax and she couldn't hold the words back anymore.

"I love you," she whispered into her ear and the Queen crested, hitting her orgasm as Emma said that. If either of them had been paying attention, they would have seen the white glow around Regina's stomach, but the Queen had her eyes shut as she rode out her orgasm and Emma's eyes were focused on the Queen's face, marvelling in her beauty as she came down from her high.

Before long, Regina's eyes fluttered opened and gazed at the dazzling green above her. Emma couldn't keep the smile off her face as she saw the slightly glazed look to the chocolate brown.

"Emma," Regina whispered. She reached up and ran her fingers through Emma's hair before slowly sitting up. She pressed a soft kiss to the blonde's lips before pulling back and smirking so mischievously, it should be illegal. "Your turn!"

Emma suddenly felt herself being pushed down until she was lying flat on her back with Regina resting between her legs once more. She had no idea if Regina had moved them by force or magic, in all honesty, she didn't care. The feel of Regina between her thighs as she licked her lips in anticipation made Emma even wetter than before and she whimpered in frustration.

"Touch me, my Queen, please."

Regina's eyes flashed with lust. With a flick of her wrist, Emma's underwear vanished. The Queen wasn't messing around. She leant down and kissed Emma's already kiss-bruised lips before trailing a path to her ear with her tongue. She nibbled her lobe before licking the shell, all while her fingertips were gently running down her sides, lighting enough to tease but hard enough not to tickle.

Her kisses soon dropped down her neck and she bit down on the blonde's pulse point, sucking until she was content there would be a bruise the next day. It didn't worry her, knowing Emma could just hide it with a spell. Once satisfied with the mark, she nipped, licked and sucked her way down her body. She circled both nipples with her tongue before nipped each and tweaking them with her thumb and forefinger before continuing her journey.

Before long, she settled between the blonde's hips, her core dripping in anticipation. She wrapped her arms around Emma's hips, and pulled her closer. The blonde's musky smell hit her and the sight of her wet and ready made her mouth water. Instead of wrapping her lips around her clit as Emma had done to her, she simply kissed just above, causing Emma's hips to buck. Regina smirked into Emma's sex and flicked her tongue out, barely brushing against her clit causing Emma to whimper.

The Queen ignored her, instead she ran her tongue through her sopping folds, drinking her in. She dipped her tongue in, light, shallow, teasingly.

"Regina, baby, please!" Emma cried desperately. She bucked her hips once more.

"Where do you want me?" Regina asked, tauntingly breathing over Emma's clit.

"Please, my clit," Emma pleaded.

"What about it?" The Queen teased. She unwrapped one arm and ever so lightly traced around Emma's clit, barely touching it. She watched it quiver under her touch, smirking in satisfaction.

"Touch me! Fuck, REGINA!"

Regina took Emma's clit between her sultry red lips and suckled to her heart's content. She flicked her tongue rapidly and soon her fingers came into play. She slipped one, then two fingers, slowly inside the blonde, reaching as deeply as she could. Just as she added a third finger, she sucked and nipped her clit between her lips and Emma fell over the edge. Her gaze blurred and she shrieked the Queen's name so loudly it echoed around the stone room. Her breathing was erratic, panting loudly.

"Kiss me, please," Emma begged and the Queen wasted no time crawling up the bed and kissing the blonde. Emma moaned at tasting herself on the Queen's lips. "Jesus, you're amazing."

Regina blushed at the compliment. She'd had a few bed warmers, but none were like Emma and none had ever, ever, complimented her afterwards.

"You're not so bad yourself," she managed to reply. She laid beside the blonde, leaning on one arm while the other trailed patterns on the blonde's stomach, Emma's earlier words echoing around her head. "Did you mean it? What you said when I came?"

Emma swallowed nervously. "Yes," she whispered. She then sat up and pulled Regina almost into her lap. She took her face gently in her palms and smiled when Regina leant into the touch. "I love you," she repeated. "I know you think it's soon, but it's not for me. I have known you a very long time and I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you."

"It's not too soon," Regina whispered back, not quite understanding what Emma was saying but wanted to say her part. "I think I love you too. Actually, I don't think, I know. I love you, Emma."

The blonde beamed and laughed joyously. She rolled them over and started kissing the Queen all over her face before planting a lingering kiss on her lips.

"I've wanted to hear you say that for a very long time," Emma admitted. When the Queen looked confused, Emma just shook her head. "I'll explain later, for now, let me make love to you again."

oOoOo

The two spent hours making love, bring each other to their ultimate pleasure over and over. Lips brushed, teeth nibbled and hands caressed gently, enjoying and embracing their new found feelings. The sun was starting to rise by the time they fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms. Regina had one arm and her leg wrapped over Emma. She never expected to Queen to be a cuddle monster but that said a lot about a person. She slept almost clinging to the blonde showing that deep down, she was vulnerable. The evil to her title was just a front she put up and Emma saw right through it, especially now.

Emma never wanted to leave but she didn't want to cause any rumours around the castle. She knew there would already be whispers going around the guards as she was never seen leaving the Queen's sitting room the night before as Regina has used her magic to poof them back to her bedroom. Now Emma had her magic once more, she could poof herself back, but she hadn't really done that much poofing and was worried she'd leave half of herself behind. The only way she could get back to her room unseen was by casting an invisibility charm. She'd done it twice in one lesson that Regina had supervised and it went rather successfully. They had an hour one afternoon when Regina had finished her paperwork and decided to have an impromptu lesson. It ended up being cut short as Robin turned up out of the blue, wanting to take Regina out on a date. The Queen hadn't hesitated and left Emma behind, so she decided to practise the spell a couple more times. The first time she was very unsuccessful, her head was invisible, but the rest wasn't. However, the second time, only her toes were visible. She figured she'd be able to do it again now, random walking toes were the risk she was willing to take.

Regretfully, she slowly tried to move from underneath the Queen but at the slight movement, Regina grumbled and held on tighter. Emma's heart melted at the sight, unable to stop herself from smiling. Again, she tried to move but Regina clung on, adamant even in her sleep that she didn't want Emma to go anywhere.

"Regina, honey," Emma whispered, a light laugh in her voice. "You have to let go."

The Queen grunted, still not letting go.

"I have to go," Emma said quietly. She ran a finger softly down Regina's face. "I don't want to, but I have to."

"No," Regina grumbled. "Stay."

"I can't be seen leaving here and I need to show my face at breakfast," the blonde reasoned. She leant forward and kissed the Queen softly.

"Stay," she repeated. "I'll transport you back later."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, unable to keep the happiness out of her voice.

"Yes."

Accepting her words, Emma let herself settle once more. Regina shuffled slightly, settling her head on Emma's chest. She hummed contently and within moments, her breathing evened out and the Queen was fast asleep once more.

Emma simply gazed at her. The covers had slipped down while she clung on and the side of her breast was in clear view down to her slim waist. Her slightly tanned skin seemed to glow in the faint sunlight. She was beautiful.

Despite the most amazing night, she couldn't shake the guilt. She had slept with Regina, told her she loved her, but hadn't told her the truth. Yes, she said she'd loved her for a very long time, but the Queen just didn't understand what she meant. Now add to the fact that they're apparently True Loves, never in Emma's wildest dreams did she image that would happen. Yet it was true because she had her magic back.

She flexed her fingers, able to feel the thrum of her magic in her tips. It felt different having it back. She felt more in control of it, despite barely using it since it came back. It was as if Regina had unlocked it fully and she could access all of it. Before, she struggled with simple spells but now she felt that that wouldn't be the case.

Regina shuffled in her sleep and pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's breast. "Emma," she whispered. "My Emma."

At the sound, Emma's heart soared but stuttered at the guilt. Regina still didn't know the truth and it was killing her. She would tell her in the morning, she promised herself. She yawned as the tiredness was truly taking over her.

She pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead. "I love you," she whispered softly and shut her eyes, letting sleep take over once more.


	10. Chapter 10

When Emma woke a second time, she found that she was in bed alone and her heart dropped. What was worse was she quickly realised that she was in her own room. She couldn't help the tears that formed and couldn't stop as one escaped and rolled down her cheek. Had the previous night just been a dream? Had she imagined it all?

She flexed her hands and could feel the thrum of her magic running in her veins. No, it wasn't a dream because she wouldn't have her magic back. However, it still didn't answer why she was back in her room. Before she could ponder it any longer, there was a knock on her door.

"Morning Emma," Laverne called through the door. "Rise and shine!"

Emma simply grunted in response so that the cook didn't come in and check on her. She didn't get out of bed for a few moments until she heard Laverne's footsteps heading away from her room.

The blonde glanced around the room, hoping to see a sign that explained why she was back in her room. Regina had said she'd transport her back to her room, but she thought she would have woken her up before doing so. Perhaps stolen another kiss or two or let her make love to her once again. But from where she was in her bed, she couldn't see such a thing.

With a heavy sigh, she crawled out of bed and stretched. The delicious ache in her body was more proof that the previous night had happened. As she glanced in her small mirror, she saw the bruise on her pulse point and she smiled. This was yet more proof. Although, she didn't want anyone else to see it, naturally, so she pressed her hand gently against it and cast a spell that would make it blend in. She didn't want to get rid of it, as it served as a reminder of the best night in her life.

She opened her wardrobe to pick an outfit for that day and saw her new red dress at the back, next to her leather jacket. At first, she panicked. Had Regina seen her jacket which is why she left her alone? She didn't think so. She presumed the Queen would have simply poofed her dress into the wardrobe without seeing what was in there.

Once dressed, she tied her hair into a topknot to keep it out her face. She rubbed under her eyes, removing the smudged mascara from the night before. Her eyes were dark from the lack of sleep, but she didn't mind, it was just another reminder. Just as she was about to leave her room, she saw there was a sheet of parchment on the floor by the door. It had been hidden by her bedframe.

Her heart started to beat with excitement. She crossed the room and picked it up, her hands shaking slightly. Opened the letter, her heart soared but then escalated for a whole different reason.

 _My dearest Emma,_

 _I apologise for how you have woken up this morning, but my guards woke me up with news. You were sleeping so deeply I couldn't bring myself to wake you. I transported you to your room so you would be woken up by the cook as normal._

 _I wish we could have woken up together, we will soon, I promise. Last night was perfection and I owe it all to you._

 _My father is joining me for dinner tonight, but I want to see you afterwards. I'll call for you when I can._

 _I love you._ The simple sentence made Emma's heart soar through the roof, but the next sentence made her blood run cold.

 _Now I must go, my guards have found Snow White and I have to see to finish my task._

 _Until tonight, my love,_

 _Regina_

Emma couldn't stop staring at the page, her hand now shaking uncontrollably. She tried to concentrate on the fact that Regina proved once more that the previous night had happened and that she did love her, but Emma couldn't ignore the sentence about her mother. Regina was going to kill her and Emma needed to stop it. If Snow died now, Emma would never be born!

Yet there was nothing she could do. She had to let the story unfold. It pained her deeply, but instead of following her instincts and leaving the castle to find the Queen and stop her from killing Snow, Emma had to continue with her day and just hope and pray that her mother would be able to get away.

Her first stop before breakfast was to go see to Henry. She was anxious to say the least. She could already imagine the smirk he would be wearing as soon as she entered the room and the questions about her dinner with the Queen would be on the tip of his tongue. However, she knew if she didn't get a move on, she dreaded to think how large his smirk would be.

She headed out her room and soon she was knocking on Henry's door. He called for her to enter and she walked in. Henry was sitting up in bed with his book in his hand.

"Good morning, Emma," he greeted chirpily, apparently feeling better.

"Good morning, Sir," Emma replied. "How are you feeling this morning? We were told you weren't feeling very well last night, but you look well to me." She raised her eyebrow.

Henry had the decency to look a little guilty as his cheeks flushed with shame. "I…well, umm," he stuttered, trying to think of an excuse.

Emma couldn't help but smirk and laughed quietly and Henry relaxed, knowing Emma wasn't angry with him.

"So how was it?" He asked.

"I don't know if my place to say," Emma replied carefully. "Perhaps it's best if you speak to Regina, I mean, the Queen about it."

Emma tried not to react at the fact she'd called the Queen by her name, but Henry never missed a beat.

"I suppose that answers it all," Henry mused, unable to keep the smirk off his face now. "If you're calling the Queen by her name, that surely means something has happened. Am I right?"

She blushed, unable to stop herself. "Perhaps," she said cryptically, "but for now, let's get you dressed. I have work to do today and breakfast to eat and I'm hungry."

Henry raised his eyebrow once more and laughed before allowing Emma to help him out of bed and into his clothes. She held his shirt ready for him to slip his arms in before she fastened his cuffs and slipped the cufflinks in place. She fastened his collar before turning to allow him to change his trousers. Finally, she held out his jacket which he slipped into easily. Once dressed, he slipped his feet into his shoes and smiled, ready to face the day.

"What are your plans for today?" Emma asked, making light conversation.

"I have many meetings today in the castle in the Queen's absence," he replied. "I'll be out all day until she comes back."

Emma pulled a face, a day of meetings sounded dreadful. She'd had her fair share in Storybrooke, but most were led by Regina, so she'd spent the majority of the meeting staring at her and trying to not get caught staring, so they could have been a lot more painful.

"Well, I hope you don't get too bored," she joked.

Henry simply smiled. "I'll try not to."

"I'll see you this evening to change," Emma said as she'd folded his night clothes and placed them at the bottom of the bed. She left out knowing that he was having dinner with the Queen to avoid any further smirks and eyebrow raises. She'd already had her fair share that morning. With everything done, she made her way to the door before turning back with a soft smile. "Have a good day, Sir."

"You too, Emma," he said, smiling in return.

Now that was done, Emma headed to the kitchen. She entered to see that she was alone. Laverne must be taking Henry's breakfast into his private dining room. Using this to her advantage, Emma flexed her hands, willing her magic. Once she felt in control, she pictured what she wanted and flicked her wrist. A second later, a large hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and cinnamon appeared in front of her. She licked her lips in anticipation and grinned. She didn't know if it was going to work as surely, marshmallows didn't exist at this time but as she willed it, it clearly was possible. Giddily, she took a sip and hummed in content.

She could make things work now she had her magic back. She would find a way to get home and keep the Queen. How? She had no idea, but this simple hot chocolate gave her hope.

Laverne returned to the kitchen just as Emma was finishing her drink. She eyed the mug the blonde was using but didn't say anything. It was a normal mug that they used, but usually the blonde waited for everyone before getting a drink.

"Good morning, Emma," Laverne greeted.

"Hey!" She replied, grinning brightly. "How are you?"

"You're awfully chipper this morning," the cook commented instead of replying. She eyed the blonde strangely before shaking her head. She plated up their breakfast and took a seat beside her. "I'm well though," she added eventually.

Emma glanced at her porridge and saw that this morning is was piled high with fresh raspberries. "This looks great," she complimented before taking a bite.

"How was your meal with the Queen?" Laverne asked slowly. She was hesitant to ask after what happened last time but as Emma was smiling, she presumed that things went better than before. She was also intrigued because she'd ended up making a small meal for Henry the night before as he hadn't gone to dinner with the Queen. She knew that the two had been alone. However, she was slightly confused why the blonde was in such a good mood, she'd seen the Queen that morning as she left the castle and she looked angry and determined.

Emma didn't reply at first, taking her time to chew and swallow the bite she'd just taken. She knew full well that Laverne knew that she was alone with the Queen too. As Henry wasn't actually ill, he would have needed something to eat.

"It was interesting," she said eventually, trying to keep the smile and blush off her face as she thought back to the previous night. The softness of Regina's lips on hers, the feel of the Queen's body pressed against hers, the taste of her, the sound of her moans and desperate cries but more importantly, hearing that they were True Loves and telling the woman she loves that she did love her in return.

At the word used, Laverne raised her eyebrow. "Interesting? That's intriguing," she said slowly. "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?"

Emma frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked, worry laced in her voice.

"I saw the Queen leaving this morning, she looked, well, determined to say the least," the cook replied.

Emma shuffled in her seat, knowing exactly why the Queen looked angry, but she didn't want to reveal what was going on. "Well, I doubt that has anything to do with me." She took a few more bites of her porridge before pushing it away. "I need to get on with my work."

With that said, she put an end to the conversation. She pushed her chair back and placed her bowl on the counter before leaving the room without looking back.

For most of the morning, she tried to keep busy. She didn't want to think about the night before because her skin kept flushing and she kept getting distracted. She ended up cleaning the same vase three times as she kept forgetting that she'd already cleaned it. Keeping busy also kept her mind away from the thoughts of Regina going after Snow. As long as she stayed alive, she knew that her mother wasn't dead.

She heard nothing from the Queen all day, but she tried not to be on edge. She never heard anything from her usually, so she couldn't let it affect her work. She kept working past lunch time so that she could avoid another awkward encounter with the cook. When she entered the kitchen, just past two, she saw a small pan of soup ready to be reheated. Emma couldn't fault Laverne in the slightest. However, instead of heating the soup up on the stove, she simply dished it up and with a wave of her hand, the soup was reheated perfectly. God, it was good to have her magic back.

Once her soup was eaten, she headed to the east library. It was one that she'd yet to enter as Henry spent most of his day in there and she'd never wanted to disturb him to clean. However, as he was away from his quarters today, she was able to get in and give it a good clean.

She started with the fireplace. Before she had her magic back, she'd had to wipe away all the ash by hand, but today, she just waved her hand slowly across the fireplace and the ash swirled together before disappearing. She manually lifted more blocks of wood onto the top before wiping down the frame and the mantelpiece.

After that, she mopped the floor and wiped the table before it was time to tackle the shelves. Naturally she couldn't take every book out by hand and wipe the shelf, that would take far too long. Instead, she waved her hand and shelf by shelf, the books emptied and piled up beside it. She was then able to clean right to the back, getting any hint of dust and making the wood sparkle.

It took her at least two hours to get everything settled. One by one, she cleared and cleaned the shelves before replacing the books. She was ready for a break just before she finished the last shelf, but she persevered.

With a wave of her hand, the books flew out of the shelf and landed beside her. She'd tried not to look at them so that she didn't get distracted but the book atop of the pile captured her attention. Slowly, she crossed over and picked it up. It was Henry's storybook! But that wasn't possible, how could it possible be in the Enchanted Forrest?

She swallowed nervously as she took a seat in the vacant armchair. Slowly, she opened the first page. To her surprise, it showed the story of how Snow White met her prince. It was the same story that she'd heard hundreds of times and she breathed a sigh of relief that her time in the past hadn't changed that. The next page showed Snow being captured by The Queen's guards and Emma panicked, knowing that was happening right now and she couldn't do anything. She turned the page, hoping to find out what was happening, but she was met with blank page after blank page as the story had yet to properly unfold.

Just as she was about to turn the page once more, she heard foot steps approaching. Quickly, she placed the book down and rushed to the shelf and started cleaning once more. Just as she started scrubbing, the door opened.

"Oh, Emma, I apologise," Henry said as he saw her in the corner. "I didn't realise you were working in here."

Emma turned and saw that he looked rather flustered. "Is everything alright, Sir?" She asked, her voice full of worry.

"No, it is not," he replied looking serious. He collapsed into the armchair, resting his head in his hands. "I can't stop her. She won't listen to me."

"Who?" Emma didn't need to ask. Her heart was in her throat in anticipation.

"The Queen," Henry whispered. "She's captured Snow White. She's arranging her execution as we speak."

Emma's blood ran cold. She glanced down at the book in the corner, wishing she could read it, hoping the story would update, but she knew it wouldn't.

"Is there anything I can do?" Emma asked quietly. She didn't know if she meant it to help Henry or if she was asking if she could prevent the Queen's actions.

"If she won't listen to me, then she won't listen to anyone," Henry muttered. "I doubt even you." The tone in which he said it alerted Emma that he knew some of, if not all of, what happened the night before between her and the Queen.

"I can try?"

Henry looked up, eyeing her carefully. "I don't see what good it will do, but I wish you luck. Go, now. She's in her chambers."

Emma nodded and stood up from where she was crouched. She waved her hand and the shelf cleaned itself. With another wave, the books returned back to where they belonged and she made a mental note where the story book had embedded itself.

"Your magic is back?" Henry asked, slightly in shock. It seemed he hadn't fully been told what had happened the night before.

"There's no time to explain," Emma said, grimacing, "but yes, it's back. I'll see you later, Sir."

Without waiting for a response, Emma headed out of the room, she was running before she knew it, trying to get to the Queen's chambers as soon as possible. Halfway there, she waved her hand over her dress, lessening the dirt and creases in an attempt to make herself look a fraction better, worthier of the Queen's affections.

As she approached, she saw two surly looking soldiers standing guard outside. They looked like they meant business.

"The Queen is busy, she will not see any visitors," one said gruffly.

"She'll see me," Emma said somewhat proudly, somewhat out of breath. "Tell her Emma is here." The guards didn't shift at first. "Please, it's important."

They stayed still for a few more seconds before finally relenting. The one who had spoken knocked on the door and entered. Emma shifted between her feet as she waited for him to return. A few moments later, he returned and nodded. "She will see you."

"Thank you!"

Emma didn't hesitate as she entered the Queen's rooms. She saw her immediately. She was sitting at her desk, staring at the door. As soon as she saw the blonde, she visibly relaxed.

"Emma," she whispered fondly. "What are you doing here?"

The blonde crossed the room and pulled Regina out of her seat. She took her face softly in her hands and kissed her with everything she had. "I had to see you," she whispered. "I heard what happened."

Regina smiled delightfully. "And you've come to congratulate me on finally succeeding in capturing Snow White? My darling, you are wonderful." The Queen leant in for another kiss but hesitated when she saw the frown on Emma's face. "Or not. What's going on, Emma? Are you not happy that I've succeeded?"

Emma didn't know what to say. Not at all. Her heart was beating so quickly and her mouth was as dry as a bone in fear. She knew it was time.

"You can't kill Snow White, my love," Emma said quietly.

"What?!" Regina hissed, she took a step back from Emma, fury taking over her face. "You are supposed to be my True Love. That means you should be on my side!"

"I will always be on your side, Regina," Emma answered honestly, "but with this I can't be."

"Why?" Regina's brows furrowed in confusion. She didn't know whether to be angry or sad at what she was hearing. Every story she'd heard about True Love was that they took your side and you were a team. She'd barely known Emma a week and known they were True Loves for less than 24 hours and it was already going wrong.

Emma took a deep breath. It was now or never. "If you kill Snow White, you'll indirectly kill me."

If it was possible, Regina looked even more confused. If Emma wasn't so scared about the next sentence she had to say, she would have found the Queen utterly adorable and wanted to kiss the confusion off her face.

"How?" Regina asked, breathlessly.

"If you kill her, I'll never be born," Emma said slowly. She took a deep breath and swallowed, knowing that everything was about to change. She looked the Queen directly in the eye, "because Snow White is my mother."


	11. Chapter 11

Regina's face paled and she stumbled backwards onto the chair behind her. Emma didn't budge from where she stood, knowing to keep her space.

"H…how?" Regina gasped out after moments of silence. "She's younger than you. She's been with that _prince_ for five minutes. It's not possible!"

Slowly, Emma walked over to the Queen and knelt at her feet. She reached out and rested one hand softly against her knee and considered it a small success when the Queen didn't shrug her off.

"It's time I tell you the truth," Emma said softly. "I know you won't believe me, but I promise you, everything, I'm about to say, is the complete truth. I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'll never lie to you."

Regina reached out and silenced her by pressing one finger to the blonde's lips. "I have a feeling this is going to take a while," she murmured and Emma nodded. "Then come, we should get comfortable."

She slowly stood and pulled Emma off the floor. She led her to the sitting room and motioned for her to sit down. Emma did so quickly before waving her hand to illuminate the fire. The Queen smiled softly at the sight. Magic performed by someone new usually scared her, but watching Emma perform simple spells seemed to thrill her and she couldn't explain why.

With another wave of her hand, Emma produced two steaming mugs of tea. Normally, she'd have given herself a hot chocolate and Regina a black coffee but as tea was the only drink the Queen was familiar with, that's what she went with. She was about to tell her the true and starting the conversation with an unfamiliar drink would not be the way to go.

"Before I say anything, please know that I love you," Emma said slowly. She leant forward and kissed the Queen softly, happy that she didn't pull back. "I love you more than anything." She swallowed and took a deep breath. "Snow White _is_ my mother and the reason that is possible, is because I'm not from this time. I'm from the future."

At this, the Queen scoffed. "Are you insane?" She cried, waving her hands frantically, almost sending her tea everywhere.

"No," Emma said seriously. "I'll take a truth potion if you don't believe me."

"Only a fool would lie to the Queen," Regina murmured quietly. "You've not proved yourself to be one. I'll trust you, for now."

Emma gulped at the minor threat and nodded. "There's a lot you don't need to know but I'll tell you the main parts. In my timeline, we were fighting someone and she accidentally set up a time portal and I fell through it. Well, me and Captain Hook." Regina's eyebrows shot up and she went to speak but Emma's expression prevented her from speaking. "Please, let me finish." The Queen looked like she wanted to argue but relented and nodded. "I lost my magic because Zelena cursed Hook and I got caught up in make believe and my magic went. That's how I'm back. I'm not here to get you or hurt you. I had no idea that we were True Loves."

"You know me from the future?" Regina asked, unable to keep quiet.

The blonde half smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she frowned and shrugged, "you hate me."

"I doubt that," Regina muttered. "If I'm anything like I am now, I'll be putting up a front. Is that what you meant by you've known me for a long time?"

Again, Emma nodded. "I've known you about three years. I knew I crushed on you, but it was only when I met you here that I truly realised how deep my feelings went. I love you, both versions of you."

This statement intrigued Regina even more than Emma's initial statement. "I'm different in the future?"

"I've told you too much about it already," Emma said quickly. "My magic teacher always said that if this ever happened, not that she believed it was possible, then you can't reveal too much."

"Well that's stupid. Who is your magic teacher?"

Emma raised her eyebrow and chuckled, despite the severity of the conversation. "It's you."

At this, Regina rolled her eyes. "I should have known that. I suppose it's then ironic that I'm the reason you have you magic back then."

The blonde shrugged before slipping a little closer to the Queen. She slipped her hand through her hair and gently caressed her face with her thumb and smiled when Regina leant into it, shutting her eyes.

"You're taking this awfully well," Emma murmured. "You just found out that you can't kill your enemy because your True Love is her daughter and that she's from the future."

At the comment, Regina's eyes shot open and flashed with something that Emma couldn't describe, but she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

"But I finally have her!" She cried out suddenly and shot up, out of Emma's reached. She began pacing a few steps away from the sofa, muttering aloud. "I've searched for her for years. I've trapped her and she's escaped. I hunted her and she slipped through my fingers. I finally have her right where I want her and her _prince_ can't do anything about it and now I've been told that I can't kill her. My happiness and love depend on her and her _prince_ winning."

"It's not about winning or losing," Emma said carefully as she rose. She crossed the room and held the Queen gently by her upper arms to stop her from pacing. "It's just about accepting that both of you must live, for now. If you kill her, you'll never get your son."

Regina's eyes shot open in shock and confusion and Emma realised her mistake.

"What?"

At first, Emma didn't say anything. She simply took hold of the Queen's hand and led her back to the sofa. She waved her hand and refreshed their tea, though both continued not to drink anything.

"I'll probably regret this, but now it's time for the whole truth." Emma took a deep breath and a deep sip of her tea before placing it back onto the table. She looked at her True Love, who looked both intrigued and terrified. "The story begins with a ten-year-old knocking on my door saying he's my son. He's been adopted by the Evil Queen and his name is Henry."

Emma then went on to tell Regina everything. From their first meeting, the time at the mines to Henry being taken by Peter Pan. She even told her about her long-lost half-sister coming to take over because she was jealous. The entire time, Regina kept her face neutral, not giving a single thing away. She only seemed to show agreement when Emma told her about Robin and the man with the lion tattoo.

"I remember Tinkerbell," she said quietly. "She came to me before Leopold died." Regina shivered at the mention of her late husband's name. "She told me about the man with the lion tattoo. You say I found him?"

Regretfully, Emma nodded. "Yes," she replied, her voice thick with sadness. "In my timeline, you love him," her voice caught slightly on the word love, "and his son, Roland. You're happy."

"But you're not?" The Queen guessed. She was confused. She had barely known Emma for long and they'd already shared so much. But despite that, she couldn't imagine there being a love out there for her that could rival what she shared with the blonde. They proved yesterday that they were True Loves for heaven's sake!

"I finally have my family and I love them. That makes me happy," she revealed slowly. "But having you would be the icing of the cake." She laughed humourlessly. "You don't know what you have until it's gone, or whatever. I didn't know I loved you until you didn't know who I was." She slumped back in her seat. "I want to stay here with you, but I also want to go home. I miss my family, I miss my son, our son, more than anything. Yet, I don't want to go back. I don't want to see you with him, knowing just how amazing it feels to be with you. To kiss you, to hold you, to make love to you. How can I go back to a life where I can't have that? Where I can't have you?"

Emma rested her head in her hands and suddenly felt moisture, she hadn't even realised she was crying.

"You probably think I'm insane," she muttered. "I'm surprised you haven't locked me up."

"It would take someone extremely crazy to come up with half of what you said," Regina murmured quietly. She pulled gently on Emma's shoulder so that she would lean back. She pulled her hands into her lap and gently played with her fingers as she continued to speak. "Some of the things you've said are believable and I trust you. If you say you're Snow's daughter, then you are. I mean, you look like her prince, now I think about it, but you have some mannerisms that are so Snow. You wouldn't lie about that knowing how much I _hate_ her and what trouble that would cause you. You know about the man with the lion tattoo and Tinkerbell and no one but my mother knows that and she's in Wonderland so it's impossible that she told you that." She paused for a few minutes to think before smiling softly. "Plus, I know that if I had a son, I would name him after my father. He's my favourite person in the world. Well, he was until you came along. I suppose you're tied now."

Emma smiled softly before becoming serious again. "So, what happens now?"

"I don't know."

They were silent for a few minutes, both trying to understand what had just been said. The silence seemed to stretch until something Regina had said bounced back to the forefront of Emma's mind.

"Umm, Regina?" Emma called softly. Regina looked up from Emma's hands that were still in her lap.

"Yes?"

"You said earlier about Snow's prince wasn't able to get her," she said slowly. "Where is he exactly?"

Regina blushed a little in guilt and mumbled something quietly.

"What was that?" Emma asked.

"He's with Maleficent," Regina repeated and Emma's eyes widened. It was obvious that Maleficent wasn't in her human form just from Regina's tone. "I called in a favour. She's not particularly in a good mood either." In fact, Maleficent was in the worst mood Regina had ever witnessed, but she didn't say that. The dragon wouldn't be letting him go without a fight.

Before Emma could respond to that, they were interrupted. The two turned and saw four guards burst into the room. Regina ripped her hands away from Emma's as if they stung her and pushed back slightly to make some space between them.

"Your Majesty!" The head of the guards cried after barging into the sitting room, no sign of a knock. "The executioner has just arrived."

Emma blanched at the announcement and took in a short gap. She clenched her fists either side of her and stared directly in front of her as to not see Regina's facial expression.

"Your Majesty?" The guard urged when the Queen didn't reply. Emma could hear the desperation and excitement in his voice. Clearly, he was happy to see his Queen succeed.

Emma held her breath and shut her eyes, sitting stock still.

"Send him away," Regina said eventually, her voice showing no emotion, not giving anything away. "I no longer require his services."

"But the prisoner, your Majesty?" The guard asked, confusion thick in his voice.

"I am aware of her," The Queen replied exasperatedly. "She is _my_ prisoner. I decide what happens to her, Claude, not you. I shall be the one to end her."

Emma let out the breath she was holding and her heartbeat quickened. Regina didn't believe her, she was going to kill Snow and Emma would fade or die. She had no idea what would become of her if she was never even born. She shut her eyes and bit her lip to stop her from looking to and from the Queen and the guard.

"Leave us!" The Queen commanded. The three other guards who hadn't said anything quickly left the room, but the main guard looked like he had a lot to say on the matter. "Do not make me repeat myself again, Claude, or I will set the executioner on you. Leave!" And with that, he hastily retreated and didn't look back.

The blonde heard the door slam behind him, but she didn't move or open her eyes.

"Emma," Regina whispered. She reached out slowly and rested her hand on the back of her neck, playing with the loose hairs that had fallen out of her bun. "Em."

At the sound of her rarely used nickname, Emma looked up. Her watery green eyes met the concerned gaze of the brown. "You've never called me that."

The Queen offered her a small smile. "I was testing it out."

"I like it."

The silence hung heavy. Neither of them knowing what to say. Regina was still so torn. She'd wanted to get Snow for more years than she could think of and she could finally see the finishing line. The princess was currently locked up in her dungeons, in a cell that was physically impossible to escape from with the magical lock she'd placed upon it. Only someone with powerful magic could break it.

"Let her go," Regina whispered, her decision made.

"What?" Emma's brow furrowed as she slowly understood what the Queen had said.

"Set Snow free," she clarified. "I can't be seen doing it. You have to do it." She then smirked, and Emma's look of confusion strengthened. "Then I'll have to punish you. Lock you up in solitude." She pulled Emma's face close to her before kissing down her jaw and nipping the pale skin before sucking harshly on her pulse point, making Emma's knees go weak. "You can stay here with me and not have to work for my father. He can replace you. You can be all mine."

Emma pulled back for a split second before connecting their lips together in a passionate kiss. She rearranged herself so that she was straddling the Queen's lap. Their cores brushing indirectly through their layers. Emma's thin dress wasn't much but Regina was wearing her leather trousers once again and Emma could feel the heat radiating already.

"I'm already all yours, Regina," Emma whispered as she kissed down the Queen's jaw before nibbling on her earlobe. She pressed a kiss just below her ear and smirked at the sigh Regina breathed in pleasure. She pulled back and saw the Queen's face was relaxed and slightly flushed pink in excitement. She reached up and caressed her face softly, tucking a loose strange of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure your father won't mind that? He's been so lovely to me since I arrived, I don't want to ruin anything."

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter," Regina stated. "You're worth more than being a maid." She then laughed quietly. "If Snow really is your mother, you're a princess after all."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm the worse princess ever."

"Stay with me and I'll teach you everything there is to be one."

oOoOo

Two hours later, Emma was slowly making her way down to the dungeons, carrying out the mission Regina had set upon her. She would have done it earlier, but she'd been distracted by the Queen's lips. She'd kissed her softly before they grew in ferocity and passion and before long, Regina had transported them back to her bedroom and they'd carried on from the night before.

Emma couldn't believe that the Queen hadn't blown up and fireballed her for her shock announcement. If anything, she'd been more scared than angry, and Emma truly realised that the woman she'd fallen in love with, wasn't the Evil Queen everyone had depicted her to be. She was just lonely and vulnerable. She was also a hopeless romantic and believed in True Love, despite what had happened in her past. She loved her already and Emma couldn't be happier or more blessed and she didn't even believe in God.

After the two had come down from their highs, panting slightly, both covered in a light sheen of sweat, wrapped up in each other's arms, they discussed how Emma would set Snow free and get caught.

Regina had transported her to the lower grounds of the castle so that people didn't see her leaving the Queen's bedroom. She walked slowly down the never-ending corridors until she found the door Regina had described. She twisted the handle before slipping inside.

The temperature changed dramatically in the corridor as she made her way further into the prison. The torches flickered, casting a dim light down the corridor. She could see the shadows of the guards on duty. The plan was to knock them out with a spell that Regina had taught her just before she left her room. It wouldn't hurt them, but it also wouldn't last very long. Long enough to get Snow out of the castle but they would stop Emma as she made her way back to her quarters.

Emma took a deep breath before stepping forward into the main lit room. Her eyes fell upon the cell at the back, a familiar brunette slumped up on the floor looking hopeless. Her heart broke at the sight of her mother, never had she seen her look so miserable. She was usually the one full of hope. At the sound of Emma stepping forward, Snow's head whipped to up and saw the blonde approaching. Emma's heart clanged once more as Snow didn't recognise her. She knew she wouldn't, but it still stung.

"Stop!" One guard cried upon seeing the blonde approaching.

"You aren't allowed down here," the other hissed.

The both pulled out their swords threateningly, but Emma just laughed. "You can't hurt me."

"Oh yeah?" The first one taunted.

Emma simply smiled. "Yes." She flicked her wrist and the two guards toppled to the floor, not making another sound.

Snow gasped. "Who are you?" She asked.

"A friend," Emma said softly. She had to hurry. She walked over to the cell and waved her hand slowly over the lock, feeling the mechanism as it released. She heard the click to prove her spell had worked.

Once it was unlocked, she opened the door and rushed in. She knelt beside her mother, not looking at her directly but feeling her gaze upon her. She worked quickly, unlocking each shackle until she was free at least.

"You need to leave," Emma said hurriedly. "Find your prince and hide. Don't let her find you."

"Why are you helping me?" Snow asked.

"Let's just say, my future relies on you," the blonde replied cryptically. "Now go, please!"

Hearing the desperation in her voice, Snow nodded. She stood up quickly and started making her leave. Just before she left she turned. "I can't thank you enough. Can I at least know the name of my saviour?"

Emma tried not to roll her eyes. She knew she shouldn't reveal her name, but she knew Snow wouldn't leave. "It's Emma. Please, go!" She insisted.

Snow nodded once more, "thank you, Emma," she said before she disappeared into the night.

With a deep breath, Emma started to make her way out. She'd barely reached the door when the guards woke up.

"Where's the prisoner?" One cried.

"She's gone!" The other said, announcing the obvious.

As planned, Emma started to run, making it obvious that she was the reason Snow had gone.

"Get her!"

Emma ran as quickly as she could muster. She made it back to the main corridor before she was surrounded by guards, each pointing their sword at her.

"You can't get out of this one," the lead guard sneered. "The Queen won't forgive you for this, even if you have been warming her bed." He walked up close to her, far too close. She could feel his breath on her neck and smell his repulsive breath. "Leave us," he called to the rest of his men. "I'll escort her to the Queen."

The other guards left immediately and it was just the two left alone. Emma tried not to panic, knowing that he was just going to be taking her to the Queen, her love, who would keep her safe.

Along endless corridors, he led her. The twists and turns she was still not familiar with. However, she knew it shouldn't be taking her so long to get to the Queen's chambers. The longer she walked, with the guard pressed up against her, his hands grasping her wrists tightly, the more she started to panic. Her heartbeat quickened and her palms started to sweat.

With a final shove, the guard pushed her into a room she hadn't seen coming. It was definitely not the Queen's chambers. It was small and dank and all that was in there was an old chest of draws and a small rusty bed. Her heart stuttered as she realised what was going on.

The guard turned to her, a large smirk on his face, his eyes full of lust. He pushed her down on the bed and pressed himself on top of her. "Now, I'm going to find out why the Queen is so fond of you."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: I'm just gonna add a small trigger warning for the beginning of this chapter. It passes quickly and I'm sorry in advance if anyone is affected._

Emma could only stare at the man above her in fear. She couldn't scream, no one would hear her. She tried to reach out, but found her wrists were pressed tightly beside her. Without movement in her wrist, she couldn't control her magic.

"What do you want from me?" She demanded. She refused to appear weak.

"I know all about your visits to the Queen," the guard taunted. "I know she thinks you love her, but I know different. I've seen many people fawn over her, but they never get her. What makes you so special, huh?" Emma stayed silent but tried to wriggle free underneath him. She regretted the movement immediately as she could feel him pressed against her. She felt ill knowing all of this was turning him on. It was vile.

"Who are you?" She spat.

"Captain Frollo," he replied, smirking proudly. "Captain Claude Frollo to be precise."

Emma gasped in recollection at the name. It seemed she was going to meet all the characters from the Hunchback of Notre Dame before the end of her trip in the past.

"You know of me? How unfair as I do not know much of you." He leant forward, pressing himself further into her and whispered in her ear, " _Emma."_

She shivered under his breath. She needed to get him off her, to get out of there, to get to Regina. Before she could do any of that, she needed to free up her wrists so that she could summon her magic. His grasp on her was too tight, she couldn't move an inch. She could feel them bruising under his force already.

In an act of desperation, Emma called out the only thing she could think of in an attempt to get him off her. "How's Quasimodo?"

Frollo's movements stuttered as if he had been dowsed with a bucket of ice-cold water. He froze in shock. "How do you know about my son?" He demanded, his lips unmoving, his voice low.

 _Holy shit!_ Emma thought. Finally, the Hunchback of Notre Dame finally got something sort of right. In this story, Quasi was the judge's son but the judge wasn't a judge. He was just the captain of the Evil Queen's guards. However, that didn't make him any less evil and bitter. He was, however, the one to bring up Quasi. Instead of being instructed to do so, it seemed he was his son biologically. Though how anyone could bear to touch him willingly, and carry his child, she didn't know.

However, with the slight distraction, his vice grip loosened a fraction and Emma was able to shuffle slightly out of his grip. She shot her knee up and hit him fully in the crotch. Frollo gasped out in pain and fell to the side, clutching his parts to him.

"Bastard!" She hissed at him. Despite the power she'd put behind her kick, he was starting to recover and stand. Emma quickly concentrated and summoned her magic. With a flick of her wrist, she repeated the spell she'd used on the other guards earlier and knocked him out. She had about 60 seconds to run before he woke up again. Without wasting a second, she sprinted from the room.

It took her a couple of corners to realise that she was deeply embedded in the guards' quarters with no knowledge of how to get out. She paused and looked around for a small cupboard she could hide in so she could concentrate.

She found the tiniest space that seemed to house nothing but a broken chair. It was pitch black but that didn't bother her. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching. She didn't have time to be bothered.

With all the concertation she could muster, she tried to remember everything Regina had taught her about transportation. She had to picture her destination clearly. That was easy, she pictured Regina's bedroom. She had to build up enough magic to be able to transport her easily. That was somewhat easy, she could feel it thrumming in her fingers, alert in her desperation to flee. That would have to be enough. Finally, she had to have a clear mind, only focusing on her end destination. That was proving to be more difficult as she heard the footsteps getting louder as they got closer.

Realising she didn't have any more time, she shut her eyes and pictured Regina's room again. She summoned her magic, took a deep breath and hoped for the best. She flicked her wrists and was carried in a cloud of white smoke.

She knew she was successful when she heard the Queen's cry of, "Emma!" However, she also realised she hadn't been as successful as she'd initially thought because as soon as the smoke cleared, she tried to take a step forward but hissed in pain. Before she could comprehend what was going on, she fell down. The last sound she heard was the Queen's shout of her name once more before everything went black.

oOoOo

Emma had no idea how long she'd been out, but when she woke up, she realised she was in the Queen's bed. She felt the growingly familiar mattress underneath her and the smooth feel of the silk sheets embracing her.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and they were met with the concerned gaze of her favourite chocolate ones. She felt Regina's fingers softly caressing the side of her face.

"Regina," she whispered hoarsely, her throat as dry as a bone.

At the sound, the Queen reached to the side and picked up a small goblet. She brought it to the blonde's lips and tipped it slightly, allowing her to take a sip or two.

"What happened?" Emma asked after she'd drank enough.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Regina answered softly. "I heard news that Snow had been released and that my guards were on the search of her accomplice. Then there was nothing until you appeared here." She frowned slightly. "You transported without a clear mind. You splinched yourself."

At the new word, Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. She tried to sit up but hissed when her leg wouldn't allow her to push herself up. Upon realising the blonde was struggling, Regina did her best to help her. She lifted her under one arm and pulled some pillows up behind her. Once settled, Emma looked expectantly at the Queen. "What does splinching mean?"

"Splinching is when you leave part of yourself behind when you try and transport yourself," Regina explained.

Slowly, she pulled back the silk sheets and Emma saw that her bottom half was naked. She almost blushed before realising that Regina had seen her a lot more naked than that. Looking down, she saw a swirl of scars running down her right leg. She hissed at the sight. The skin was blotchy and red. It made her feel sick.

"I stopped the bleeding and healed it best I could," Regina muttered. "I can't do too much at once, it was a large wound and took too much energy. I'll be able to fix it in an hour or so."

"Thank you," Emma replied. She looked away from her leg, unable to look at it anymore. Quickly, she pulled the sheets until they covered her leg up once more. She looked up at the Queen who was looking at her strangely. "What's wrong?"

"What happened?" Regina asked again, slowly. She took one of Emma's hands in hers and brought it up to her mouth. She kissed her knuckles and then her wrists. "Your wrists were badly bruised when you came too, but that wasn't from the splinching. It can't bruise you. Who hurt you?"

Emma shivered at the tone the Queen used. She couldn't name it. It was soothing to Emma, showing her that she cared, but there was a hint to it that promised that she would hunt the person down who did that to her.

She gulped before telling the Queen the story. "It happened after I let Snow go. That all went to plan. It was when I was escaping when he got me." As she spoke, her voice turned into a whisper. "He said would bring me to you alone, but he didn't, he took me to his room." She was almost silent now. Regina had to strain her ears to make sense of her words. "He pushed me onto the bed and trapped me. I could _feel_ him. It was revolting. He wanted me because I had you."

"Who, Emma? Who did this to you?" The Queen asked once more.

"The Captain of your guard," Emma whispered, not looking at the Queen.

Regina gasped. She knew her captain was a little crazy, but she never imagined he would do something like this. Especially not when he had a young son at home. It was true that Quasi wasn't the most usual boy, but he still needed his father. It was that thought that parted her judgement. Part of her wanted to destroy him for touching Emma. Not just because she was with the Queen, but because it was disgusting for any man to force himself upon someone who didn't want it. The other part didn't want the young boy to grow up without his father. He was already going to have strife in his life, she didn't want to add to it.

"He will leave the castle immediately," she promised her love. She reached out and soothed Emma's hair before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her crown. "He won't touch you again. I promise."

At that, Regina quickly stood and headed to her door. She opened it and stuck her head out, not letting the guards see who was in her room. "Captain Frollo is to be dismissed immediately," she announced. "No questions asked. I will decide his replacement later."

Emma couldn't hear their response but apparently it went well when Regina returned with a satisfied smile gracing her sultry red lips.

"Are you feeling any better?" Regina asked softly as she sat beside the blonde once more. She'd been sat there almost thirty minutes, patiently waiting for her to awaken.

Emma nodded slowly before shuffling down the bed again. "Join me?" She requested.

Regina smiled softly and nodded. She stood and crossed to the other side of the bed. She slipped under the cover and snugged close to the blonde. She slipped her arm under her neck and Emma gritted her teeth as she rolled slightly into the Queen. A dull pain shot through her leg, but it was so worth it to be in Regina's arms. She breathed in her perfume and relaxed.

"I love you," she whispered as sleep threatened to take over once more.

However, before she slipped into unconsciousness, she heard the Queen's soft reply of, "I love you too, my sweet Emma."

oOoOo

When Emma woke for a second time, she automatically stretched out, fully rested. She flexed her toes and allowed the release of the muscles to move up her body. She stretched her hips when she realised that her leg didn't hurt anymore. Flipping down the covers, she saw the swirls of scars had disappeared. It was like they were never there, like it had never happened.

"I healed it a few moments ago," said a voice from behind her, very close behind her.

In the moment of stretching, she'd not realised that she wasn't alone in the bed. Smiling, she rolled over and saw Regina laying next to her. She was no longer wearing her leather trousers from earlier, but in a simple deep blue lace bra with matching panties. Emma's mouth went dry.

"Now that's an amazing sight to wake up to," she whispered as she reached out. "I want to wake up to it every morning." She slid one finger down her side and watched in delight as Regina shivered at the feel.

In seconds, the Queen closed the gap and sealed their lips together. "You can," Regina whispered. She brought up a hand and cupped Emma's cheek. At Emma's raised eyebrow, she continued. "You can't go back to working for my father. The guards know who let Snow go. You'll be arrested and thrown in jail."

"So, I'm to hide in your room until when?" Emma asked. She hadn't thought the plan through properly. "Til they all leave?"

"Until I slip a memory loss position in their drink," Regina replied with a shrug. "It takes two weeks to brew and then it'll be done."

"And then I'll go back to working for your father?" Emma tipped her head to the side in confusion, her brow furrowed.

Regina couldn't keep the smile off her face at the expression. The blonde just looked too cute.

"No, you can stay here with me. You can be my princess," she said with amusement in her eyes.

Emma scoffed. "I'm no princess," she insisted. "But you are my Queen." She leant forward and nipped Regina's throat before soothing it with a flick of her tongue, smirking when she heard the Queen sigh in pleasure and buck her hips.

"I want you," Regina whispered. "So much." Emma's eyes flashed with excitement as she rolled over, pulling the Queen on top of her, feeling her practically naked body pressed deliciously against her. "But–"

Emma groaned, buts were never a good thing. However, in an attempt to push her luck, she slipped her, now healed, leg between the Queen's legs and pressed teasingly light. Regina automatically rocked against it.

"But?" Emma repeated with a smirk, knowing the Queen was enjoying herself too much.

"I can't remember," she breathed before closing the gap between them and allowing Emma to make love to her again.

oOoOo

The two were coming down from their highs. The first they had separately. The Queen had ridden Emma's leg as if her life depended on it before she settled in between the blonde's legs and suckled her clit between her lips, coaxing her climax out of her quickly. Emma had then pulled her up to kiss her before slipping three fingers in deep. Not to be outdone, Regina slipped two fingers home and they rode each other's hands and kissed frantically until they could no more. They settled on leaning their foreheads together, their breaths mingling, as they brought each other over the edge once more.

Regina was snuggled into Emma's neck, with the blonde's arm wrapped protectively around her. The other sound was their breathing and their heartbeats until there was a knock on the Queen's door.

"Ugh," she groaned before regretfully slipping out of the bed. Emma watched her naked body cross the room before it was covered by a silk gown she had hung up on the side. Regina flicked her wrist over herself, Emma had no idea what it was for as she didn't look any different, before she opened the door. "What?"

Even straining her ears to hear, Emma couldn't make out what was being said. However, not even two minutes later, Regina snapped the door shut and rushed back into the room. She waved her hand over herself again and once more, nothing seemed to happen.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked. "What spell were you doing?"

Regina smiled. "I couldn't have him seeing me look dishevelled," she replied. "It was a disillusion charm. He saw me dressed impeccably as normal, not like I'd just been thoroughly ravished."

Emma smirked as she sat up in the bed, allowing the cover to slip and reveal her breasts. Regina's eyes clouded over with lust once more before remembering that Emma had asked another question.

"However, he was informing that my father is waiting for me to have dinner," she continued and Emma suddenly pulled the duvet back up, despite Henry not being present. " _Someone_ distracted me when I remember earlier."

"How dare they," Emma teased and smirked before pulling Regina closer to her, untying her gown as she did so. "That's just incredibly rude." She pressed a kiss between Regina's breasts before pulling back. "We can't have you being too late for your meal."

Regretfully, Regina pulled back. She waved her hand once more over her and this time, Emma saw the change. She was dressed in a navy-blue gown, a fraction darker than her underwear. It hugged her curves and Emma could see the slit that ended just above her knee. It was a halter neck, hiding the jewels on her chest. She looked delicious.

"Join us?" Regina requested. "We can tell him the news."

At this, Emma raised her eyebrow. "That I'm sleeping with his daughter?" She teased. "Or that I'm quitting my job so that I can sleep with his daughter."

Regina stepped forward and knocked Emma on her shoulder, laughing in surprise when the blonde pulled her down with her. She closed the gap and kissed her soundly.

"No, you fool, that you're my True Love," Regina said, happiness clear in her voice, "And maybe that you're, you know, from the future."

"You believe me?" Emma asked slowly. She was still surprised that Regina had taken it so well. She was amazing.

Regina shrugged. "You're my True Love," she repeated. "You'd never lie to me. Especially not about something like this." She pulled back and stood up once more. "Now come on, we can't keep my father waiting any longer."

Emma slowly got out bed and stretched again, satisfied at the crunch her spine made.

"I don't have anything to wear," she realised. The dress she'd worn to work wouldn't do, plus she had no idea where it had gone. She hadn't woken up wearing it earlier.

Regina tilted her head for a moment as she considered this before waving her hand over Emma. Suddenly, the blonde was dressed in a lavender off the shoulder dress. It was short sleeved with a sweetheart neckline that she could see the Queen eyeing already. It finished at the front just above her knees and dropped down to the floor at the back. It was simple but elegant.

Her look was finished with a pair of nude heels and her hair was knotted into a sophisticated bun at the top of her head.

"There, you look beautiful," Regina breathed as she stepped forward, admiring her handy work. She brushed a loose hair out of Emma's face and tucked it before her ear before kissing her cheek.

"I can't compare with your beauty, my love," Emma whispered before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Regina smiled at the softness, embracing the love Emma had for her before becoming serious.

"Now, it's time to go tell my father."

oOoOo

So, telling Henry went down a lot smoother than Emma ever imagined it was going to. He was a little apprehensive when Emma told him the truth about being from the future. She tried to ensure that she didn't reveal just how they got to Storybrooke or how Regina cast the curse. In fact, she hadn't actually mentioned much about the curse. Regina hadn't asked.

As soon as they mentioned that she and Regina was True Loves, he couldn't keep the smile, or the smirk, off his face. He simply reached out across the table and took each of their hands in his.

"I'm so happy for both of you," he admitted. Regina couldn't keep the smile off her face and glanced at Emma who was matching her grin.

"Thank you, Sir," Emma muttered, a blush creeping up her face.

"Now, now, we can't be having that anymore," Henry chastised fondly. "I take it, you won't be working for me anymore, now that you're a fugitive?" He winked to show that he was joking and Emma laughed.

"I'm afraid not, Sir, please take this as my resignation," Emma joked and the three laughed.

"I'll have to find someone else then." He chortled again before becoming serious. "Now, are you going to tell Laverne and Esmeralda?"

Emma frowned. She barely knew the two, but she felt like she owed it to them. "As far as anyone is concerned, I'm the one who let Snow escape. They'll be in danger, surely, if they knew where I was?"

She glanced at the Queen who nodded sadly. "Only for the next two weeks. I'll start the potion tomorrow. You can help me."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Me? Help?"

Regina smiled. "You said I was your teacher in the future, why not be your teacher now?"

"I like a woman in charge," Emma teased and winked at her love before remembering that Henry was still sat in front of her. Slowly she turned to face him, nervous, gaging his reaction. But she didn't need to be worried, he was smiling brightly at the too.

"Young love," he said simply before digging back into his food.

 _A/N: yep, I stole Splinching from Harry Potter. Please don't sue! Also, thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed and reviewed. It makes me so happy! As always, let me know what you think or what you think might happen! You never know, I may use your suggestion. Love, Emss x_


	13. Chapter 13

It was the next day after their dinner with Henry. He'd been so happy for the two of them and hugged Emma tightly, as well as Regina, before leaving. He promised to not tell Laverne or Esmeralda, who would be back the next morning, where Emma was. He was simply to say that she'd left and he was looking into a replacement.

Emma, on the other hand, was simply going to be spending her time in Regina's chambers for the next two weeks. During dinner, Regina would cast a disillusion charm on Emma so that she looked like someone else each time so that the servers didn't recognise her. The servers didn't really have much to do with the guards, but Regina didn't want to risk anything. Emma didn't really mind if it mean she could join her for dinner.

One evening, Regina had simply ordered different nibbles and the two had cuddled in bed and fed each other in between rounds of passionate love making. It was amazing.

As much as she didn't mind the disillusion spell, the forgetting potion was the only option for the guard situation and Emma wasn't complaining about how long it would take to brew. Two weeks of just her and Regina sounded like perfection. All they had to do now was brew the potion.

They'd been in the Queen's small laboratory room for about an hour and it turned out that working with the Evil Queen on a potion was much like working with the future Regina. All Emma had to do was pay attention, not get in the way and remember everything she was doing. At every stage, Regina would explain what she was doing, why she was doing it and what would happen should something be altered slightly.

"So now you add dandelion root, not the petals, they'll knock the drinker out for several hours, but they'll still remember. Obviously, that's not what we want," she was saying as she added the ingredient into the cauldron on the fire. "What?" She added when she saw Emma smirking at her, trying not to laugh.

"You're just too cute as you explain," Emma replied.

"It's not cute, it's serious," the Queen chastised fondly with a roll of her eyes. So Regina.

Emma stepped forward from where she was perched on the edge of a nearby counter. She took one step towards Regina.

"Nope, don't come any closer. You need to watch, not get in my way," she sassed, turning her back on the blonde.

Instead of listening, Emma closed the gap and wrapped her arms around the Queen's waist and rested her head on her shoulder.

"I'm watching and not in your way," Emma replied. She kissed Regina's temple before allowing her to get on with her work.

Regina smiled fondly and leant into the blonde's embrace before continuing with her work.

Before long, the potion was finished to what it could be and just needed to brew for two weeks before the final two ingredients, a tulip petal and two blades of grass, were added. The potion would then be poured into a bottle of mead that Regina would "gift" to her guards. She knew them well, they'd drink it down in seconds. Emma would then be free to walk around the castle again and just be known as the woman who used to be a maid and was now the Queen's lover. Well perhaps not to that amount of detail for now.

Lover didn't feel like the right word to use. They knew they were True Loves, but Emma was sure the Queen wouldn't want everyone to know that. Girlfriend didn't seem strong enough though and anything further was probably too strong. They would have to come up with another term at some point.

oOoOo

The two weeks seem to pass in a blur. It was the day before the potion was finished and Emma was sitting up in bed, well Regina's bed that seemed now to be their bed. Regina was in a meeting of some kind and had let Emma sleep in. She'd woken up a few moments ago and saw there was a tray on the bedside table to her left. She could see the slight glimmer above the tray, a heat preservation spell so that it would still be warm when she woke up.

Her heart filled with even more love for the Queen at the small touch. With a smile, she reached over and pulled it over her lap. She waved her hand over to remove the charm and breathed in the smell. On the plate was scrambled eggs on toast with sliced avocado on top. Beside that was a steaming cup of tea made to perfection. With a grin, Emma dug in.

As she ate, she pondered her situation. She couldn't remember feeling so content in a relationship. It had been just over two weeks and she just didn't want it to end. She loved waking up next to Regina every morning and going to sleep beside her. They spent every meal together and Henry joined them every few days.

The second dinner he joined, a couple of days ago, he announced he'd found a replacement for Emma. It was a young girl called Megara. Emma tried not to roll her eyes at the name of yet another Disney character. Wow Walt Disney had got things so wrong. However, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Henry had said that both Laverne and Esmeralda were upset at Emma's sudden departure and the blonde was excited to be able to see them after the two weeks were up.

She spent a lot more time with Regina than she though. Sure, she had many meetings and the odd day trip, but she'd rearranged everything so that she wasn't away from the castle overnight. Something Emma was extremely happy about.

While Regina was away, Emma did tend to get a little bored. One day, she decided to sneak back into Henry's chambers. She cast the disillusion spell on herself, after asking Regina to teach her how to do it, and made her way down. She didn't trust herself to poof again at the moment until she'd figured out how to do it properly. She made it to the east library easily and saw that it was deserted. She crept to the shelves to try and see Henry's storybook again and was stumped after a few minutes of looking. She flicked her wrist along the shelf and cleared it before running through each spine to try and find it.

It wasn't there.

Quickly, she checked on some of the other shelves and still nothing. She heard Esmeralda's voice along with one that she didn't recognise which must belong to Megara and she held her breath, hoping they wouldn't hear her. She frowned slightly as she wished she could say hello but knew she couldn't. Instead, she waited until their voices quietened down before she quickly waved her hand so that every book was how it was before she entered. To say she was confused right now was an understatement. Dejected, she headed back to Regina's room.

During the two weeks, Emma also hadn't gone to see Hook. She didn't want to tell him that she had her magic back as he would want her to start getting them back to Storybrooke as soon as possible. She would see him soon. She had no choice. Before long, he would come looking for her. However, she didn't need to think about that now. Storybrooke was still far away.

Suddenly, Henry's face flashed before her eyes and her heart panged. She adored spending time with Regina, getting to know all her little quirks. Like on a morning, she'd stretch, starting with her right arm and then her left before learning forward to touch her toes and stretch her back. In an evening, she liked to light scented candles, as opposed to the general ones around the castle, so that the room smelt delicious before she slept.

They made love almost every night and Emma adored it. She learnt that Regina practically melted when Emma spent her time worshiping her back, kissing down her spine and trailing patterns with her tongue. She also had dimples in her lower back that tickled whenever she breathed lightly over them.

She would never be able to forget the taste of the Queen on her tongue. She'd never experience such an exquisite taste before and she couldn't get enough. The sounds the Queen made when she came and the face she pulled just made Emma want to coax her to the edge all the time.

With all of that, she couldn't imagine going back to Storybrooke and having to see Regina with Robin, knowing that he was the one to bring out all of those pleasures. That he was the one who got to watch her stretch on the morning. The selfish part of her wanted to stay here and live her life with Regina. She knew she'd be happy.

But she couldn't do that.

Regina would never cast the curse if she stayed. Snow and Charming would never need to put Emma in the wardrobe. Emma would never meet Neal and she'd never have Henry. A world without her son just seemed too horrible to imagine. She had to figure out a way to get back and her heart tore in two just at the thought.

Put off her breakfast that she'd half eaten, she placed it back on the table and slipped out of bed. She headed to Regina's wash room and waved her hand so that the bath was full of steaming hot water and bubbles. She slipped in and couldn't help the moan that slipped out when the heat kissed her sex sore muscles. She leant back and shut her eyes, allowing herself to relax as well as she could.

She didn't know how long she had her eyes shut, just enjoying the heat, until she heard a noise in the room. Her eyes snapped open in panic, her breathing became erratic, until she saw the familiar brown eyes looking back at her from across the room.

Regina was leaning causally against the doorframe. She was wearing a deep purple dress that radiated importance and money. Her hair was tied in a perfect low bun showing that she meant business and her lips were a sultry deep red. She looked phenomenal.

"Room for one more?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "Always."

The Queen crossed the room, slipping out of her dress as she went. She flicked her wrist and her face was bare of makeup and her hair fell around her shoulders. She stepped into the bath in front of the blonde before pressing her back gently against her front. Emma's arms automatically wrapped around her as Regina rested her head on her shoulder.

"How was your meeting?" Emma asked softly after pressing a kiss against Regina's temple.

"Dull as usual," Regina replied with a grimace. "They still think I can't rule the kingdom without a man by my side." She rolled her eyes. "I told them I was courting someone of royal descent. They don't need to know yet that she's a princess not a prince."

Emma smiled into the Queen's hair. "Clever."

Regina smirked. "I thought so." She laughed before becoming serious. "You didn't finish your breakfast, why?"

At the question, Emma's smile faltered. She didn't know what to say. She didn't expect the Queen to pick up on it, but she supposed it was the first time she'd left her food.

"Em?"

Emma sighed. "I was thinking about my son," she said reluctantly and heard the Queen draw in a deep breath. "It put me off my food."

"You must miss him," Regina muttered quietly.

"More than anything," Emma replied quietly. "I don't want to leave you, not in the slightest, but one day…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"You'll have to."

"Yes."

The acknowledgment of it rang loud and clear in the small wash room. Neither wanted to accept it but they both knew that one day, Emma would have to leave.

The rest of their bath was quite solemn until Regina suggested they went and checked the potion. She had to stir it once counter clockwise and twice clockwise before leaving it to the next day. Emma went with her, but they still didn't really say much.

However, when they went to bed that evening, the two cuddled up as usual, the blonde's protective arms wrapped around the Queen. Regina turned her head and settled into Emma's neck, breathing in her scent. She pressed a kiss on her pulse point and relished Emma's content sigh. She pressed another one there, this time a little harder, opening her mouth a little. Emma's sigh was louder. Then, she grazed her teeth over the same spot and suddenly felt herself being pulled atop of the blonde who was smiling up with her, her eyes slightly glazed over.

"I love you," Emma breathed before closing the gap and kissing the Queen passionately.

The two made love, slowly and tenderly, that night. Emma worshiped every inch of Queen's skin with light stokes of her fingers, soft caresses with her tongue and gentle nips with her teeth. Regina almost cried with how beautiful it was and how loved and safe Emma made her feel. She vowed that as long as Emma was there, she'd appreciate her and love her as long as she could.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up the next morning, she couldn't remember feeling more rested. The room was warm from the fire and there was a soft glow glinting in through the balcony doors that were slightly open. She looked down and saw Regina was snuggled into her chest, the gentle, even rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still asleep.

Reaching up, she started running her fingers gently through Regina's hair. She loved how long the ebony locks were. The Regina she knew kept it short, just around her shoulders, which suited her, but she loved running her fingers through her long, thick locks.

Regina hummed in contentment and snuggled closer into Emma making her smile. The two had nothing to do today except finish and serve the potion. Emma was looking forward to it.

Soon enough, the Queen started to stir from the soft caresses through her hair. Her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," she greeted and kissed Emma sweetly.

Emma practically purred and deepened the kiss. "Good morning to you too, my Queen."

Regina accepted the kiss before pulling back. "We have a potion to finish," she stated when Emma started to pout. "Then you can finally get out of this room."

At that, Emma couldn't help but nod in agreement. "That's true."

"Then come, my love, let's get dressed and finish our work."

Emma didn't add that it was really all Regina's work. She'd just kept her company. Reluctantly, the two got out of bed and Regina dressed them with a wave of her hand. She had provided Emma space in her enormous closet. Emma had been also been able to retrieve her own clothes from her wardrobe.

Regina's reaction to Emma's red leather jacket was much like the reaction she would have in the future. The words hideous and ghastly were used and Emma couldn't find it in herself to be offended because the face the Queen pulled of utter disgust was too funny and the blonde struggled to stop laughing. She'd yet to reveal her jeans, that would be another day.

Despite enjoying not having to choose her outfits every day, Emma was starting to get fed up of dresses. She just wanted her jeans and a jumper now the weather was starting to turn but alas no, it wasn't to be. The only trousers Regina owned were her leather pants and they didn't look desirable either. Dresses it was.

Once they were both dressed, Emma in light blue and Regina in burgundy, they headed back to the Queen's laboratory.

"So?" Emma asked motioning to the potion. "Is it done?"

The Queen crossed the room and looked at the potion. She stirred it twice before adding the rest of the ingredients. With two final stirs, one clockwise, one counter clockwise, she stepped back, a satisfied smile on her face. The potion went from a light pink to a deep scarlet. Emma didn't know if that was the usual colour the potion was meant to go, or it was simply that colour to look like whatever alcohol it was pretending to be. Either way, Emma was glad she wouldn't be drinking it.

"Yes," Regina replied.

She waved her hand and the flame was extinguished. Another wave and a bottle appeared. Slowly Regina ladled the potion in and corked it off.

"It's done," she announced. She flicked her wrist and the bottle disappeared. "It's now on the guards' table with a note to say drink up, they deserve it."

Emma raised her eyebrow, not looking convinced. "How do you know they'll all drink it?"

Regina shrugged. "Well, I don't, but the fumes from each other's breaths will work too. Then again, Claude is gone, and he was the main one who knew it was you."

 _Yeah, Claude has gone,_ Emma thought to herself. The Captain was not happy that he had been dismissed. The next day he had stormed into the castle and to Regina's chambers. Emma had barely been able to hide before he crashed into the room, demanding to know why he had been dismissed.

Regina had simply said that even if Emma was a criminal, she didn't deserve what he did to her. She sent him away with a fireball sent towards him, just missing his ear by a millimetre. A clear warning.

He hadn't come back.

The new Captain of the Queen's guard was a man called Shere Khan. Emma didn't particularly like him either, he seemed rather snakelike and slimy, but it was Regina's decision after all. As long as she didn't have to deal with him, it would be fine.

With a wave of Regina's hand, the laboratory was restored to its pre-potion making set up. The table was pushed back to the wall and the tools flew back to the cupboards they belonged in.

Emma watched the cupboards close before she crossed the space, a smirk on her face. A flash of lust crossed her eyes as she stalked towards the Queen. She didn't know why, but she just found her incredibly sexy when she was in magic mode. However, just as she reached out, Regina back off.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly as she saw the rejection in Emma's eyes. "I just feel a bit, I don't know, weird this morning."

The smirk was quickly replaced with concern. Emma wanted to cup the Queen's face softly but stayed back. "What sort of weird?" She asked.

Regina shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "It's just the only word I can use. I'm sure I'll feel better soon."

She didn't.

The Queen kept floating between feeling okay and feeling just, well, weird for the next couple of weeks.

The potion went down as a success. It was tested by Regina poofing Emma to the gates and her walking through the castle. The guards greeted her as they did before, without any hesitation, to let her see the Queen.

Regina then announced that Emma was a lady in waiting to the Queen and given full access to the Queen's quarters. Emma hadn't been down to see Lavern and Esmeralda yet, but she was meaning to. In actual fact, she just didn't want to leave Regina while she wasn't well.

Two weeks after they'd finished the potion, Regina went from feeling weird to feeling sick. Emma woke up one morning to an empty bed and no note. It was unheard of. When she went in search of her love, she found her in the bathroom with her head in a bucket, retching.

"Regina!" She gasped as she rushed over. She pulled her hair out of the way before conjuring a cloth to wipe her brow and mouth. "You're not getting any better. I'm getting the doctor."

"I'm fine," Regina argued weakly before throwing up once more.

"You're not."

Emma then stood and headed to the door to the chambers. She opened the door and saw one of the guards.

"I need the doctor here, now," she ordered.

The guard nodded and rushed off.

Within ten minutes, Regina was laying back in bed while the doctor ran some tests and asked some questions. They were the typical: when did you start feeling ill? Was this the first time you've been sick? Anything else?

"I've been getting dizzy sometimes too," the Queen admitted quietly. "Feeling a little faint."

Emma watch on the side lines. The more she heard between Regina and the doctor, the more she started to realise what was going on. In fact, she didn't even need the doctor's confirmation. Her heart was already thumping loudly against her ribs in anticipation.

"I believe congratulations are in order, your Majesty," he said cryptically.

"I beg your pardon?" The Queen responded, panic and confusion on her face.

"If I have understood all your symptoms correctly," the doctor said slowly, "then you are pregnant."


	14. Chapter 14

"Sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly," the Queen said slowly after a few moments of silence, her face showing complete disbelief at the statement.

The doctor smiled without it reaching his eyes. "I said, I believe you are pregnant, your Majesty," he repeated carefully. "I will have to run some tests to confirm for definite, but all the symptoms you've listed: nausea, vomiting, dizziness," he listed them off on his fingers, "amongst other things all add up to pregnancy."

"But I can't be," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else and Emma understood why. Regina had only recently slept with another woman. It wasn't biologically possible.

If Emma was jealous or possessive, she would have been worried that Regina had cheated on her, but she knew that wasn't the case. The two had spent practically every night together for the past month since the first time they were together and had spent most of the days together too. Yes, there was a very slight possibility that Regina had slept with someone else when she went on state visits, but Emma knew in her gut that if the Queen really was pregnant, the baby was hers.

She should be excited. She was going to be having another child! But then Henry's face flashed in her eyes again. She blinked rapidly, in a, failing, attempt to concentrate on what was going on right now, not technically years in the future.

"I will run the tests and confirm within forty-eight hours, your Majesty," the doctors said, bringing Emma back to the conversation. "If I may?"

Reluctantly, the Queen nodded and allowed the doctor to take some blood and anything else he needed. He then collected his belongings and bid his goodbye before leaving the room, leaving Emma and Regina behind.

Regina's eyes didn't leave Emma's as the blonde slowly walked over to where the Queen was lying in bed. She perched beside her and smoothed her hair down, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. She then ran her finger down Regina's chest softly before stopping on her stomach, pressing her hand gently against it, as if trying to feel the baby.

"If I am…pregnant," Regina said slowly, barely above a whisper, "the only other parent it could have is you. I promise you, there is no one else."

Emma looked up from her stomach and looked into the chocolate eyes. She wanted to say something, she knew she needed to, but she didn't know what. The Regina of the future didn't have a child, she had never mentioned having one, not even the miscarriage. What on earth was she meant to do now? How could she leave Regina in the past, carrying her child, to get back to her family and Henry in the future? Then again, would Regina even adopt Henry if she had a child? Would she even cast the curse?

Despite knowing she should feel thrilled at the idea that she was going to have another child, she was struggling to access that happiness. She didn't know what to feel.

"Emma, say something?" The Queen pleaded slowly when Emma's silence continued. " _Please_."

"I…I can't," Emma muttered. She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss against Regina's forehead before standing up and backing away slowly. "I'm sorry." She then turned and ran. Once she started, she didn't stop. She just kept going.

She ran along the corridors, through all the twists and turns, passing many confused guards. Some called after her to check if she was okay, but she ignored them. Soon enough, she was out the castle completely, yet she still didn't stop, simply running in any direction to an unknown destination.

Before she knew it, she was in the middle of a small village. It was packed with people going to the markets and getting on with their business. However, when Emma appeared, they all turned and stared at her. Looking down, Emma realised why. She was wearing a dress that probably cost more than the entire village earned in a year. She was red faced and panting, completely out of breath from running. She must have also looked insane.

Glancing round, she tried to find someone she recognised but she couldn't. Instead, she turned on her heel and carried on running as best she could in the dress. Once out of the village, she waved her hand over her and the dress was replaced by her jeans and a jumper and a pair of comfortable trainers. Another wave and she cast the disillusion charm on herself. If anyone saw her, they wouldn't know it was a person, they would just think it was a trick of the light. She just wanted to feel like herself in that moment.

Instead of running again, she found a large rock and sat down. She rested her head in her hands and let the sob out that she didn't know she was fighting.

"Oh, fuck," she muttered to no one. "What am I meant to do now?"

After the first sob, she let out the rest of the tears. She cried for a future that may not happen. She cried for her family that she missed. She cried for her little brother that she didn't know. She didn't even know his name! Finally, she cried for Regina and the love that she would have to leave. Because she had to leave. She did. She had to get back to her family and, more importantly, Henry.

By the way things were going, she hadn't really changed much about the future, only Regina's life. That could be amended. Perhaps she could slip her a memory potion? No, she could never do that. Even if she wasn't pregnant.

Pregnant.

Regina was pregnant.

The Evil Queen was _pregnant_.

And it was with her baby.

She repeated that over and over to herself. The Evil Queen was pregnant with her child. The more she thought about it though, the more it sank in.

No, not the Evil Queen, it was Regina. Regina, the woman she _loved_ , her _True_ Love, was pregnant with _her_ child. Their love was so strong, so pure, and so _true_ that they had created a life. A life that would be 50/50 them. She, Emma already had a gut feeling it would be a girl, would be sassy like Regina. She would roll her eyes before she could talk and raise her eyebrow perfectly in disbelief. She'd be independent, a trait she'd pick up from both her mothers. She wouldn't take any nonsense from anyone. She'd be loyal and kind but a little bit mischievous just like Emma was.

Suddenly, Emma was picturing a little girl with long blonde wavy hair but with dark chocolate brown eyes and full lips. She was the perfect blend of both Emma and Regina with long limbs from Emma and slightly tanned skin from Regina.

She would be perfect.

All of a sudden, she felt better. Yes, she still had no idea what she would do but just like her small epiphany after her hot chocolate, she knew everything would work out in the end because she _loved_ Regina and she already loved their little girl who was yet to even fully be.

With the happy feeling radiating from within, Emma waved her hand once more to dress herself back in her dress was wearing. She shut her eyes and imagined her love. She felt happy and calm, unlike the last time she'd tried poofing. She felt confident. With a flick of her wrist, she felt the familiar white smoke surround her to transport her back.

Once she knew the transportation was over, she opened her eyes and was greeted with a heart-breaking sight.

The Queen was sitting up in her bed, hunched over, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Emma felt dreadful.

In seconds, the blonde crossed the room and pulled the Queen into her arms. At the movement, Regina looked up.

"Emma," she whispered hoarsely.

"I'm here," Emma assured her. "I'm sorry I ran, but I'm here."

"Emma," the Queen repeated before launching herself into Emma's arms, burying her head into Emma's neck and clinging to her.

Emma soothingly rubbed her back, whispering sweet nothings into her ear in attempt to calm her down. It took a while, but the Queen's sobs started to slow as she took deep breaths. She loosened her grip on the blonde but didn't let go, nor did she move her head from her neck.

"Why did you leave?" Regina mumbled. Emma could barely make out her words as her lips were pressed against her skin. "Don't you believe me?"

"Of course, I believe you," Emma said quickly. She pulled back so that she could look Regina in the eye. Her eyes were red raw, still filled with unshed tears. "I just sometimes have to remove myself from a situation when I don't know how to react. But what I _do_ know is that if you are pregnant, there's no doubt that she's mine."

At the use of she, Regina half smiled. "She?"

Emma couldn't help herself as her mouth formed a grin. "Yeah." She reached down and pressed her hand gently against Regina's stomach, caressing it with small circles. "I have that gut feeling." She moved her hand and slipped it under Regina's chin. She cupped it and ran her thumb softly over her cheek. "I have no idea what's going to happen, but I promise, I'm not going anywhere for now. This child, if you are pregnant, is _ours_ and nothing makes me happier than that." She took a deep breath. "I love you, Regina. I love you more than I thought it was possible to love someone. I don't know what's going to happen but what I know for sure, is that I'll love you forever and," she smiled softly, "I already love our baby."

After hearing that, Regina leapt forward and sealed her lips to Emma's. She smiled into the kiss, laughing even, and she pushed Emma flat on her back. She straddled her hips and looked down at the blonde. Her sadness forgotten as heart filled with joy and excitement.

"I love you too," Regina said, rejoicing at what she heard before becoming serious with a sigh. "We just have to figure out how to go about the pregnancy as I'm an unmarried Queen."

Emma bit her lip, stumped for an answer. "I don't know," she admitted before pulling Regina down snuggly on top of her. "But we have time to figure it out."

oOoOo

The doctor returned before the forty-eight hours were up, bringing the confirmation that Regina really was pregnant. Four weeks pregnant to be exact.

As before, Emma was by the Queen's side when she found out the news and the doctor looked between the two of them in confusion.

"If I may, your Majesty," the doctor said cautiously, "who is the father?"

Both women tensed at the question. They hadn't really spoken about it. They had spent most of the last couple of days in the washroom, Regina throwing up and Emma holding her hair and cleaning it up. Regina had also decided to continue with Emma's magic lessons, wanting to test her to see how powerful she was.

The evening before, when the two were curled up in bed, Regina asked Emma how she got her magic, knowing the Snow and her prince didn't have any. While talking, Regina revealed she had also contacted Maleficent and found out that Charming had escaped, but she was too busy to recapture him. She was having more trouble with King Stefan and his wife.

Emma admitted quietly that her magic came from the fact that her parents were True Love. Regina had rolled her eyes at that but accepted it. She tried to be angry at the idea that Snow would grow up happy and have her True Love, but then again, without that, Regina wouldn't have hers.

At the doctor's question, Emma glanced over worriedly at the Queen whose facial expression hadn't shifted. It was as if she was prepared for the question.

"I don't believe that is in your right to know," Regina said slowly, a slight hint of venom in her voice. "If you have nothing else to report, then kindly leave. If not, I will have one of my guards escort you out."

At the mild threat, the doctor hurriedly packed up his belongings and was on his way before Emma could count to five.

"I'll be back in a few days with the medication you will have to take," he called over his shoulder.

Emma chuckled quietly at his panicked walk away as it was rude to run away from a Queen.

Once he was gone and the door had shut firmly behind him, Emma turned to the Queen. She sighed as she perched on the bed once more.

"We're going to have to figure that one out eventually, you know," Emma said softly.

"I know," Regina sighed. She reached forward and twirled a strand of Emma's hair around her finger. "My father is coming for dinner tonight," she revealed. "I thought we could tell him and then ask him what he thinks?"

Emma's eyes widened and she swallowed. "Umm, yeah, I guess." She bit her lip nervously. "But then he'll know."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "He'll know what?" She asked.

"That, we've, um, you _know_ ," Emma stuttered and the Queen smirked, realising what Emma was getting at.

"He'll know what, darling?"

"That I've slept with his daughter!" Emma cried. "I'll have to look my former boss in the eye and admit that, not only have I seen his daughter naked and made love to you, but that I've also knocked you up and we're not even married!" Emma had to try so hard to not say _yet_ but she didn't know what marrying the Queen would do to the timeline, so she didn't say anything, for now. "He's gonna kill me!"

At the admission, Regina burst out laughing. "Honey, you've been living in my quarters with me for the past month sharing my bed," she reminded the blonde with a laugh in her voice. "He knows full well what we've been doing, he's not stupid."

She rolled her eyes before slowly getting onto her knees. She raised one leg and slipped it over Emma's lap, straddling her. The blonde shifted back on the bed, slipping her arms around the Queen, resting them against her backside. She squeezed softly and the Queen sighed in delight.

"Besides, you don't hear me complaining about all the times we've made love," Regina teased before leaning forward and trailing her tongue lightly around the shell of Emma's ear, breathing teasingly against it. "Make love to me," she whispered.

Emma smiled at the request. She tightened her grasp on the Queen's thighs and stood up. She turned them around and gently dropped the Queen into the centre of the bed. With a wave of her hand, Regina's dark dress was removed and folded neatly on a nearby chair. Emma reached to the back of her dress and pulled the zipper down before stepping out of it, allowing it to pool around her ankles.

The Queen's eyes deepened at the newly undressed Emma. She hadn't worn a bra under her dress and her panties barely classed as clothing they were that thin. Regina raised her hand and beckoned the blonde to her. "Come closer, my love," she instructed.

Slowly, Emma crawled onto the bed, resting above the Queen. She reached down and kissed her passionately, allowing Regina's tongue to slip deep into her mouth, brushing against her own. Regina soon broke off the kiss and kissed down her body before she was in front of Emma's breasts. Leaning forward, she sealed her mouth around her left nipple, alternating between swirls of her tongue and harsh nips that were quickly followed by a soothing kiss. With each nip, Emma's hips bucked.

"Fuck, Regina!" She gasped before balancing on one hand, threading her fingers through the chocolate locks, pulling her closer to her chest. "That feels amazing."

Regina smirked, nipping it one more time before leaving a trail of kisses towards Emma's other nipple, giving it the same treatment. Once satisfied, she started to lay down, her head slightly below the pillows.

The blonde's head tilted to the side in confusion. Usually when Regina was on the receiving end, she would settle herself on top of the pillows.

"Come closer," Regina whispered again, her voice thick with lust. "Come on top of me." Emma's eyes widened and darkened even more, finally understanding Regina's actions. "Don't leave your Queen waiting." Emma nodded eagerly before moving to remove her panties. "Leave them on."

At the request, Emma's hand flew away from the seams. She was confused but trusted the Queen implicitly. Slowly, she shifted forward until her core was mere millimetres away from Regina's mouth, resting her hands on the bed frame. Her heart was thrumming in excitement. She felt Regina's arms wrap around her thighs, closing the gap between her core and the Queen's mouth.

Then suddenly, she felt Regina's tongue snake out and lick her through her panties and she moaned at the sensation. It was light and teasing. There was no way she'd be able to come from the indirectness of it, but she could still feel the Queen and that was enough. Regina licked her again, this time harder, but still it wasn't enough.

Unconsciously, Emma pressed herself lower, grinding herself onto the Queen's mouth, indirectly asking for more. Suddenly, she felt a sharp nip to her clit causing her to gasp in pain.

"You will receive what your Queen wants to give," Regina instructed, her voice slightly muffled by Emma's thighs.

"I'm sorry!" Emma gasped. "Forgive me, my Queen."

"Better," Regina replied before returning the prize in front of her. She ran her tongue up and down the blonde's still clad core before wrapping her lips around her covered clit and sucking twice. She removed one arm from around Emma's thighs and flicked her wrist, finally removing the blonde's thong. Soon enough, the Queen was trailing her tongue through Emma's sopping folds, drinking her down like a sweet wine. "You are delicious."

Emma could only moan in delight despite the compliment. Her hands moved in their own accord. One reached down and threaded in Regina's hair. She didn't pull her face closer because of the treatment she received a few moments ago, this time she just rested her hand there. The other reached up and squeezed her breast, tweaking her nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Regina saw this in the corner of her eye and couldn't stop the moan that emitted at the sight of Emma pleasing herself. The vibration of the moan sent pleasurable waves though the blonde and she moaned again.

"Fuck, Ginny, so good!"

Regina's actions stuttered at the use of a nickname she'd never heard before, but the way Emma said it, she wanted to hear it over and over again. She snaked her tongue through her folds before slipping her tongue further down. She stiffened it and thrust inside the blonde, reaching as deeply as she could. Emma couldn't help herself as she started to bounce against it, riding the Queen's tongue. As she dipped down, Regina's nose bumped against her clit.

"I'm gonna come!" Emma cried. Now unable to help herself, she pulled Regina's face closer to her.

Far too occupied with what she was doing, the Queen allowed it, secretly glad as she was now able to thrust even deeper into the blonde, hitting her clit with her nose with each thrust. She wrapped her arms tighter around Emma's ass and spread her cheeks apart. She slipped one finger through her folds, allowing it to moisten slightly before returning to where it had been. Slowly, she ran her finger to the hole Emma never let any one touch. Regina swirled her finger around the rosebud before pressing the pad against it firmly, not quite slipping inside.

"Yes!" Emma shouted at the sensation throwing her head back. She bounced faster against the Queen's face and finger.

Regina pressed slightly harder, timing it with the thrust of her tongue and the bump of her nose and Emma saw stars.

"REGINA!" Emma cried as she crested, more powerfully than ever.

The Queen continued her movements, allowing Emma to ride out her pleasure. She drank down Emma's come as she slowed her movements. Before long, Emma flopped to the side, panting rapidly, trying to regain her breath. It took a few minutes, but she soon crawled back to the Queen. She kissed her deeply, sighing in pleasure at the taste of herself on her tongue.

"That was the most amazing orgasm of my life," she revealed before kissing the Queen again. "I never, ever, let anyone touch me there but…" she trailed off, not knowing how to finish it.

"Well I'm glad you allowed me the honour," Regina replied before kissing the blonde again.

"I'll let you do anything," Emma admitted, before pressing another passionate kiss to the Queen's lips. She pulled back and smirked as she slowly trailed her forefinger down Regina's chest before cupping her soaking sex through her ruined panties. "Now, let me show you what I can do."


	15. Chapter 15

The two basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking for a while, allowing their breathing to return to normal as they cuddled close. Regina rested her head in the crook of Emma's neck trailing light patterns on the blonde's hip with the tip of her forefinger, enjoying how goosepimples followed in its wake.

"We'll have to get ready for dinner soon," Regina murmured reluctantly. "My father will be arriving soon."

"But I don't want to move," Emma whined, holding the Queen slightly tighter.

Regina laughed at the blonde. She stopped her movements and brought her hand up to cup Emma's face softly, caressing her cheek with the pad of her thumb. "But we'll just be disturbed again if we don't," she sighed. "I'd like a quick bath before we meet my father though, I don't want to tell him about the pregnancy while I can smell you on my fingers." She smirked and Emma laughed melodically before rolling over so that she was laying on top of the Queen.

"You weren't complaining when they were inside me a few moments ago," she teased before nipping Regina's earlobe. "When I was riding them, hard and fast, shouting your name across the room."

Suddenly, Regina flipped them, her legs straddling the blonde's hips. She bucked her hips in a slow roll, brushing their cores indirectly together. Emma had to stifle a moan at the sensation.

"I'll never complain," Regina replied, with another roll of her hips. "If I had it my way, you would be my dinner." She leant down and kissed Emma passionately, all teeth and tongue, before trailing her lips down her throat. Placing a nip, a suck and a kiss to her pulse point.

"That can be arranged," Emma stuttered out. She bucked her own hips in an attempt to meet Regina's who was still slowly rotating her hips, teasing the blonde deliciously.

At the movement of the blonde's hips, Regina pulled back a fraction. "Nope, we have a dinner with my father to get though," she said as she shifted off the blonde's lap who was now pouting. The Queen laughed as she leant forward to kiss away the pout. "Come, my love, I'll wash your back."

oOoOo

After Regina had finally managed to pull Emma out of bed with promises of more to come that evening, the two made their way into Regina's wash room. They managed to wash themselves without much distraction. Naturally, Emma struggled to keep her hands to herself, especially when Regina's breasts were so soapy and all she wanted to do, and did do, was rub her hands all over.

Once their bath was over, they dried and dressed in a comfortable silence. Emma couldn't help but glance over to her love and look at her stomach. It was still flat, not showing the life that thrived inside.

"What?" Regina asked in confusion.

Emma smiled. "Just seeing if you could see her yet," she answered truthfully. She finished slipping on her dress, the red one from the night it all began, before walking over. Gently, she pressed her hand over her belly with Regina's hand coming up to cover the blonde's.

"Why are you so convinced it's going to be a girl?" She murmured quietly. Her thumb slowly caressing the back of Emma's hand.

"It's a gut instinct I have," Emma replied. She looked up and met Regina's eye. "I knew my son was a boy before they told me. Mothers just have that gut instinct."

At that, Regina's smile brightened before a small frown replaced it.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked softly. She moved her free hand up to cup the Queen's cheek who automatically leant into the touch.

Regina turned and kissed Emma's palm. "I love hearing you refer to yourself as their mother," she said slowly. "It's just… I don't seem to have that instinct that gut instinct about the gender. I honestly have no idea. Does that mean I'm not ready?"

"Oh honey." Emma leant forward and kissed Regina's temple. "Don't be silly," she said fondly. "It's different for every mother. Some things take time. You've got this. _We've_ got this."

Regina smiled at the blonde's encouragement. "I love you," she whispered softly before capturing Emma's lips in a sweet kiss.

"I love you too," Emma replied. "Now, let's go eat."

oOoOo

To say the two were nervous was a major understatement. Henry was sitting opposite Emma and beside Regina as usual and was digging into his meal as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. However, Emma and Regina were grasping each other's hands under the table while not really eating their food. When the server came offering wine, they were already used to Regina refusing and another server brought a flask of water for her.

It was when Henry saw this, he knew something was definitely up. He placed his cutlery down on the table and clasped his hands together under his chin.

"Now, which one of you is going to tell me what's going on?" He asked slowly, his chocolate brown eyes flickering between his matching pair and the dazzling green. "You've been acting weirdly all evening."

Emma glanced at Regina and squeezed her hand under the table.

Regina sighed and also placed her fork down. She had a small sip of her water and took a deep breath before looking at her father.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Emma looked away from Regina to watch Henry's reaction. At the announcement, his face didn't change. He continued to look at his daughter as if he'd not heard anything.

"Daddy?"

At the call of his name, Henry blinked rapidly, as if coming into focus again. "Are you sure?" He asked quietly. He looked between Emma and Regina, as if waiting for them to start laughing and say it was a joke.

"I'm sure," Regina answered. "The doctor confirmed it."

"But who's the…" He trailed off, looking at Emma.

The blonde blushed, it was time.

"It's me," she admitted quietly. She glanced sideways at Regina who smiled nervously at her and squeezed her hand in support. "I didn't think it was possible either, but True Love," she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips, "can do anything."

"So, I see," Henry mused and finally, he smiled. A bright smile that made him look years younger. It was a smile Regina hadn't seen him wear in many years. He smiled so brightly that he started to tear up. "I am so happy for you, my darling, both of you."

Regina beamed and then suddenly frowned. "Please excuse me for a moment," Regina said and quickly stood up and rushed out of the room. "I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder.

Henry's eyes followed his daughter and he half rose out of his seat.

"She's okay," Emma said quickly. "She'll be back in a few minutes. She doesn't like to be fussed over."

"You're telling me," Henry joked as he returned to his seat. He laughed before suddenly becoming serious. "While Regina isn't here, can I ask you about all this?"

Emma's smile quickly evaporated. She swallowed nervously and nodded. "Sure."

"You're from the future, you have to leave at some point," Henry said without beating around the bush. "You're going to be leaving Regina and the baby behind." He then saw Emma's flinch. "Or, is the baby not in your future?"

Emma swallowed again. She didn't confirm or deny the question.

"Also, for this time, Regina is single, an unmarried Queen and she's pregnant," Henry said, ignoring the fact that Emma hadn't answered the previous question. "Have you figured out a solution to that?"

At the question, Emma sighed and ran her hand through her hair before shaking her head. "No." She saw the worry etched on Henry's face and she couldn't help tearing up in frustration. One slipped out and started to roll down her face. Quickly, she reached up and wiped it away, hoping that Henry wouldn't have noticed it.

"Emma," he called softly, reaching forward to rest his hand softly over Emma's in reassurance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Emma shook her head, wiping away another two tears that had escaped. "I'm fine," she said quickly, too quickly showing that it was a lie. "It's just…you're right. The baby isn't in the future," she all but whispered, "I don't know why and that worries me and the repercussion Regina could get for even being pregnant," she shook her head, "I don't know what to suggest."

"I have an idea," Henry said slowly.

"An idea about what?" Asked a voice from behind them.

The two turned and saw Regina making her way towards them. Her face was flushed pink in embarrassment for having to dash off but also intrigued at what her father was going to suggest. Slowly, she sat back in her seat, her hand seeking Emma's immediately before turning to her father.

"For coming up with a story behind the pregnancy," he replied.

"What's your suggestion?" The Queen asked after taking a sip of her water.

Henry didn't reply at first, also taking a sip of his beverage, biding his time. He cleared his throat. "I heard from the council that you said you were courting someone of royal descent?" He raised his tone, making the statement into a question and Regina nodded slowly. "Then you could say that he was a prince and that you secretly married and you have hired Emma, as your lady in waiting, to also be your nurse during the time here. I mean, Laverne and Esmeralda will be the only ones who know any different, but that's not important."

Regina considered this for a few minutes before Emma spoke up.

"But where is the prince now?" Emma asked. "Well, the make-believe prince."

"He's gone on a mission and you don't know when he'll be back," Henry said and shrugged. "He can 'go missing' and that Emma will help you raise the child. I'm sure the baby will look like both of you but that won't be hard to pass off. Perhaps the 'prince' could be Emma's brother or cousin? Then the resemblance to her wouldn't be an issue? I mean, I have no issue with the two of you and I'm sure most of the kingdom will take the same view, but I know some will not be okay with their Queen being with another woman, even if she is a princess. Especially when they find out Regina is pregnant. There will be too many questions. I believe this is the only suggestion."

Both women were quiet, taking in the information. It was the most plausible idea they'd had so far. The only issue would be if Esmeralda and Laverne blabbed, revealing that Emma was a maid, not a long-lost princess. Well, she was a princess, but they didn't know that.

"You look dubious, Emma," Henry murmured as he took in her expression.

"I don't think they would say anything," she began slowly, "but Laverne and Esmeralda don't know that I am technically a princess. I mean, I do have a brother too, but he's a baby and also not here. But what if they say something? What if–"

"Honey!" Regina said softly, squeezing the blonde's hand to stop her from rambling. "I think it's time to speak to your friends what's happened."

"I guess," Emma replied and nodded in agreement. "I'll go tomorrow."

oOoOo

It was mid-afternoon when Emma finally found the courage to go see Laverne and Esmeralda. The initial plan was to go mid-morning when she knew they'd be on their break, but Regina had had a dizzy spell and she didn't feel comfortable leaving her. The doctor was called, much to Regina's dismay, to check her over. He recommended a herbal drink that would help with the dizziness and nausea before saying that it was all a natural part of pregnancy. Regina typically rolled her eyes at the comment.

Once the doctor left, it was time for lunch and Emma didn't want to disturb the others during while they were eating, and she was also rather hungry. When she finished her meal, she helped Regina out of her seat and leant forward for a small kiss. However, the Queen turned her head last minute and dodged it.

"What?" Emma cried and pouted. She tried to go in for another kiss which was also rebuked.

"I'll kiss you once you've seen the maid and the cook," Regina said. "You'll never go otherwise."

"How about a kiss and then I'll go?" Emma suggested with a suggestive wave of her eyebrows. The Queen simply raised her eyebrow. "Ugh, fine." She pecked the Queen on her cheek and started to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "next time you want a kiss, you'll get the same treatment."

"Excuse me, I am carrying your baby!" The Queen sassed making Emma turn around quickly in fear, panicking that she'd upset her. However, she was met with the Queen's signature smirk. Regina then winked at her before laughing lightly. She blew her a kiss across the room which Emma pretended to catch with a smile. "Now go. The sooner it's done, the sooner you're back."

Emma couldn't argue with that logic. "I'll see you soon," she promised and finally, she left the room.

As she headed down the familiar path, she glanced down at what she was wearing. She was so used to wearing all these extravagant gowns now, she felt silly going back to where she was a maid in it. With a quick snap of her fingers, her dress lost some of its magnificence. The fine silk was replaced by a comfortable cotton which still showed that she had money behind her, but not the title which she reluctantly had to carry with her.

After Henry had left the night before, Emma and Regina were up late talking about it, coming up with a strong story that Emma could tell Laverne and Esmeralda. It took a while, but they finally decided that Emma would have to slip something in their tea to make them believe whatever she said without fail. Regina fortunately had that potion on hand, Emma didn't want to ask why and Regina never offered the reason.

Fortunately, they'd come up with their plan before Regina had started to get tired, barely able to keep her eyes open. Emma had simply opened her arms wide, silently inviting the Queen in. Regina snuggled into Emma's side, her leg hooked over the blonde's body and was out like a light.

Before long, Emma reached the entry to Henry's quarters. He had given her permission to just enter without knocking. A princess would do that.

She walked through the door and headed to the kitchen, hoping that would be where Laverne at least would be. Slowly, she entered the room and smiled. It had been over a month since she'd seen the cook and they'd only known each other for a brief time but seeing the familiar face in front of the stove brought a smile to her face.

"Hello stranger," Emma murmured in greeting. The cook turned around in a flash, dropping the potato she was peeling.

"Emma!" She gasped before rushing forward and pulling her into a tight hug. "I've been so worried about you!"

At the yell of the blonde's name, footsteps were heard and a crash through the door signalled Esmeralda's arrived.

"Emma!" She cried before rushing forward and hugging the blonde just as tightly as the cook did. "Where the hell have you been? Where did you go?"

"That's a long story," Emma replied.

"I'll make some tea," Laverne decided.

"Allow me," Emma offered and stood up before Laverne could get started. She motioned to the kitchen table and began her work. She heated the water and sorted out the tea strainer. Making sure the others didn't see, she uncorked the small vial she had in her pocked and added a drop in both Esmeralda and Laverne's tea. She felt awful about it but knew it had to be done.

She turned around and place their teas in front of them before taking a seat in the chair she'd sat in all that time ago. It felt as if Emma had never left. It was strangely reminiscent of the morning after Emma had had dinner with the Queen for the first time and Laverne and Esmeralda wanted to know everything about what happened. Emma waited before she started to ensure that both Esmeralda and Laverne took a sip of their tea. Simultaneously, the two raised their mugs to their lips and took a small sip and Emma saw the slight glazed look flash in their eyes before fading. Regina had described how Emma would know that the potion had worked. That was it.

"So, why did you leave?" Esmeralda asked after a long pause of silence, fed up of waiting for Emma to begin.

"Well, technically, I never left," she replied honestly. "I moved in with the Queen."

At the revelation, both the cook and maid's eyes widened in shock. Laverne even splashed her tea over the rim of her mug. Without thinking, Emma waved her hand to clear up the mess and stop any burning that the cook had done to her hand.

"You have magic?" Laverne cried, staring at her hand where a red patch, formed from the hot tea, was reducing rapidly.

Emma bit her lip, that wasn't meant to be part of the story. It was too late to backtrack that now. She nodded slowly and started adlibbing to her story before she'd truly began. "The Queen found out. That's why I was in such a foul mood after the first dinner. She didn't trust me, or my magic, and we fought. After I helped her father, she agreed to see me again and allowed me to explain. I didn't need to, she knew everything." Emma rolled her eyes. "She told me she knew who I was and why I was here…" Emma trailed off, as was the plan, hoping one of the others would pick up on it and ask the obvious.

Cue Laverne. "Why are you here? I thought you were trying to get back to your family?"

"I am," Emma replied quickly. "But I didn't tell you who they are or how I was separated from them." She took a deep breath and sip of her tea, pretended to be nervous and reluctant to tell. "My parents are the King and Queen of a neighbouring Realm." They had decided upon Realm as they knew that Laverne and Esmeralda were unlikely to know of royalty from elsewhere and technically, Emma wasn't lying. In a way, Snow and Charming were the King and Queen of Storybrooke. "A witch came to take over and she cursed me and took my magic before banishing me. That's why I came here, to try and get the Queen to help me get back. I just didn't anticipate that my brother would get there first." She paused again.

"Your brother?" Esmeralda asked. "You never said you had siblings."

"I have a brother," Emma repeated, this also was true. "He left many years ago of his own accord, to travel before he became King. He never returned so we presumed he had died but no, it seems he came here and made a life with the Queen, however short it was."

Esmeralda and Laverne nodded wholeheartedly, despite Emma knowing that wasn't the case in the slightest and it sucked that she had to lie to them, but they had to know this version.

"However, it seems my brother has gone missing," Emma said slowly and frowned. "I found a letter, requesting that I take care of his love and we've not heard anything since. It's my job now to look after the Queen."

"What about your family?" Esmeralda asked quietly. "What about your son?"

The blonde sighed, this she didn't have to fake. "I will get back to them one day, but not any time soon." She took a sip of her tea. "But that's enough about me, tell me about what's been going on down here that I've missed!"

At that, Esmeralda and Laverne glanced at each other and Emma recognised the look. She knew that they both wanted to ask more questions but daren't. Emma's story had finished for now.

"Well, you know there's a new maid who replaced you?" Esmeralda asked, and Emma nodded. "She's actually useless!"

At the cry of despair, matched with the brunette's arms flailing to add to her point, Emma burst out laughing and the serious conversation was lightened. She sat, sipping her tea, and gossiped with the two as if no time had passed.

For the first time in a while, Emma could relax. She could momentarily forget that Regina was pregnant with her child. She could forget that she needed to figure out how to get home. All that she concentrated on at the moment, was catching up and having fun with her friends. She was at peace. For now.

 _A/N: Was the last chapter too much? I didn't get as much feedback as normal. Always let me know your thoughts so I can keep writing what you want, it's important to us authors! As always though, thank you to everyone who's favourited and followed this so far. Let me know what you think might happen and it could pop up! Love, Emss x_


	16. Chapter 16

A couple of weeks past. Emma had started joining Laverne and Esmeralda for a drink every week which she loved. She still hadn't told them about Regina's pregnancy but as was royal protocol, the Queen would be announcing it once she was in her second trimester. They still had a few weeks before she hit that though.

Emma and Regina spent most of their time together when the Queen didn't have to see to her royal duties. If she ever went away, Regina tried to make sure that it wasn't overnight. It just depended where she had to go. Most of the time, it was just a day trip and she was back before dark. While Regina was away or busy, Emma started reading again. She'd hide in Regina's library, which was much bigger than Henry's, and bury her head in a book. She'd finally finished Her Handsome Hero and could see why Belle loved the book so much. She was already tempted to read it again.

It was a Sunday morning and the two were enjoying a lazy morning in bed. Regina had ordered their breakfast to come to her bedroom while Emma was in the bathroom. The blonde came back and smiled at the view.

Regina was still naked, the bed sheets pooling around her hips, with a tray of food in front of her. It was one of the best sights Emma had seen.

"Good morning, beautiful," she greeted before crossing the room and slipping into the bed beside the Queen.

She kissed her temple as Regina leant into her before picking up a strawberry and feeding it to her. Emma bit into it and some of the juice dripped down her lip. Regina leant forward and licked up the escaping juice before kissing the blonde soundly.

"Good morning to you too, my love," Regina replied with a content smile.

The two continued to eat their breakfast, which was an array of pastries and fruit, making light conversation, though Emma wasn't particularly joining in. She was too busy thinking. She had been putting it off for a while but realised that it was time to go find Hook and tell him everything that was going on. She knew he'd be hating living in the dark, both figuratively and literally if he was hiding on the Jolly Roger.

Regina flicked her wrist to get rid of the tray before turning and looking at the blonde. "Alright, what's going on in that beautiful blonde head of yours?" She asked, seeing through Emma's quietness.

Emma smiled softly because she loved that the Queen knew her so well. "I have to go see Hook," she murmured.

It was obvious that the Queen hadn't thought that would be what was bothering the blonde. Her eyes widened in shock and she stilled. "Why?"

"Just to tell him what's going on," Emma said. She reached out and cupped the Queen's cheek. "He deserves to know that he's going to be here a while longer. I'm not going anywhere for now." Emma slipped down the bed so that her face was resting just in front of Regina's belly. She started to trace patterns on her skin, still flat, not showing the sign of the life that was growing beneath it. Regina smiled and ran her fingers through Emma's hair and her smile grew when the blonde reached forward and kissed her belly before leaning back up and kissing the Queen's lips just as softly, making her melt.

"I love you," Regina murmured against Emma's lips. She pulled back. "I just don't want you to get hurt. What if he gets angry? I know Captain Hook, well a version of him, he only thinks about himself."

"Yeah, he still does," Emma replied before reluctantly adding, "but he won't hurt me."

The Queen's eyebrows shot up as she understood what the blonde meant. "He has feelings for you?" She asked incredulously, and Emma nodded slowly. "Then I'm definitely not letting you go."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't have feelings for him," she said before motioning to the Queen lying naked in front of her and then gently resting her hand on her belly. "Obviously. Look, Ginny, I'm just going to go and tell him that I have my magic back, but I can't go back yet. If the pregnancy comes out, it comes out, but I don't intend on telling him that bit. I'm just going to give him a brief update."

Regina still didn't look convinced, but what she said next surprised the blonde. "That's the second time you've called me Ginny. No one has ever called me that before," she mused and Emma blushed.

"I just think it's a cute name for a cute woman," she revealed, her head dipped in slight embarrassment. "Regina is a beautiful name for someone who is strong and passionate, a true Queen, but my Ginny is just that. She's mine. No one else calls you that and," she shrugged as if passing it off as not such a big deal, "I like that."

Suddenly, Regina rolled them so that she was resting on top of her. She smiled down at her love and peppered kisses all over her face, her forehead, cheeks and nose before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. "I like it too."

She kissed her again, this time allowing her tongue to slip out and slide deliciously against the blonde's. She matched the kiss with a roll of her lips. Emma knew what she was doing, she was trying to distract the blonde with sex so that she wouldn't leave.

With a small groan, Emma leant back as best she could while being on the bottom. "I have to go babe," she said reluctantly. "He won't be there for much longer. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Regina frowned. "Fine, I'll just take care of myself while you're gone." She smirked knowing that the blonde knew exactly what she meant.

"Oooor," Emma dragged out the sound as she leant up and whispered in Regina's ear, "you can wait for me and we can do the position you love." She finished her point with a nip to the Queen's ear and kissed her just underneath. "And we can do it for as long as you like."

Pulling back, Emma saw the Queen's eyes were glazed over in sheer lust. She smiled victoriously. She rolled them over so that she could get free. Regina seemed to be in a daze while Emma got out of bed. With a wave of her hand, Emma was dressed in the peasant dress she'd 'borrowed' when she first fell into the past. Her hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders.

"You're not going wearing something that revealing," the Queen insisted, clearly recovered, making Emma roll her eyes. The dress was a little low cut, but it wasn't that bad. "Honestly, they'll freeze off."

Emma laughed. "Then what do you suggest?"

With a wave of her hand, Regina altered the dress. Instead of it being so low cut, it now sat just under her neck in a loose cotton, but the outer corset still synched her in. Regina admired her handy work. "Better," she said. "You look like a regular peasant."

Again, Emma laughed. She loved how funny and sassy the Queen was. She crossed the room until she was beside the Queen. "I'll be back soon, and I'll try and let you know if anything is going to prevent me." She kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina mumbled against her lips, kissing her again. When Emma pulled away, Regina lifted her hands and wrapped them around the back of Emma's head, threading her fingers in her blonde locks. She pulled her back to her lips and kissed her thoroughly, her tongue sliding against Emma's suggestively, searching every part of her mouth. She sucked the blonde's tongue into her mouth causing Emma to moan and leaning into her touch a fraction more. Regina pulled back and Emma followed her, chasing her for another soft kiss before retreating.

Emma's eyes were shut, smiling her signature goofy smile. Her eyes fluttered opened slowly and met the gaze of the chocolate brown before her. "What was that for?" She asked. "Not that I'm complaining!"

"Just something to make you come back to me," Regina replied with a shy smile.

Emma shook her head and laughed. "I'm definitely coming back, with or without that amazing kiss." She pecked the Queen's lips once more before regretfully pulling away. "I'll be back before you know it."

oOoOo

It took a while for Emma to spot Hook, she thought perhaps he wasn't there. She made it to the small village beside the castle, the one she'd ran through after finding out Regina was pregnant. She looked around, trying to find the signature black coat. She searched the market place and by the small houses along the edge. She was about to give up when she decided to check the forest and just as she got to the thinning trees, there he was.

Hook was resting against an old willow tree, looking into the distance. He looked defeated and hopeless, probably presuming Emma wouldn't turn up. They had been in the past over two months now. That meant he'd been waiting for her for four Sundays to no avail.

Slowly, Emma started walking up to him. "Hey," she greeted, not knowing what else to say.

At the sound of her voice, the pirate spun around on his heel. "Emma!" He gasped before running over to her and hugging her tightly. The blonde froze at the feeling and awkwardly tapped him on his shoulder. He pulled back, grinning madly, completely oblivious to the discomfort she was feeling. "I half thought you were dead!"

Emma laughed. "Nope, I'm fine," she replied. "More than fine actually."

At that, the captain scowled in confusion. "What's been going on?" He asked. "Have you figured it out yet? The Jolly Roger is getting a bit uncomfortable now."

Emma bit her lip in guilt. "Umm, I don't have a plan," she revealed slowly, "but I do have some news."

She waved her hand and two chairs appeared for them to sit on. They were simple wooden kitchen chairs as they were the first thing she'd thought of. Another wave of her hand and she'd cast the disillusion spell, a spell that was quickly becoming her favourite, so that a passer-by wouldn't see them.

"You have your magic back!" Hook gasped, his head whipping back and forth between the chair and Emma. "When? How?"

"I'd take a seat if I were you," Emma murmured, "because you're never going to believe me."

Slowly, Hook sat down on the closest chair and looked at Emma expectantly, waiting for her to take the chair beside him. She didn't, she wanted to be able to move while she spoke. She took a deep breath and blinked slowly, gathering her courage.

"Emma, it's just me," Hook said quietly. "Just tell me what's going on. Please."

Emma nodded and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously and swallowed. "So, it turns out, the cure, well _a_ cure, to whatever Zelena cursed your lips with, was, umm, True Love's Kiss," she revealed slowly.

"Sorry what?" Hook cried in disbelief. "True Love's Kiss? But I thought, well I hoped, that maybe we would be…" he trailed off, resting his head in his hand.

Deciding it might be best, Emma finally took a seat beside the pirate. She didn't know whether to tap his shoulder or just to leave him to sulk in peace. She decided on the latter, keeping her hands firmly to herself.

"Who?" He asked, his voice a quiet whisper.

"Does it matter?"

Hook's head snapped up and turned to Emma, his face stern. "Of course, it matters!" He cried, leaping up off the chair, his arms floundering in the air in anger. "You're never going to want to leave if your _True Love_ ," he scoffed at the term, "is in the past."

"They're in the future too," she said quietly. "I'll see them again when we get back."

"So, you still do want to go back?"

"Of course, I do!" Emma snapped, finally getting pissed off. She'd tried to keep her temper, but it was to no avail. "I miss my family and I miss my son. I just can't go yet."

"Why not?" He stomped back over and sat down next to Emma once more. "What's keeping you here?" His brow furrowed. "Who is your True Love?"

Emma took a deep breath. It was time to reveal the truth, much to her dismay. "It's Regina," she said quiet and suddenly the pirate burst out laughing.

"Of course, it is!" He cried. "Fucking Regina. She's always going to get in the way." He laughed again, but this time, there was no humour in it. "And you don't want to go back to Storybrooke and see her with the thief because, no matter what happens, she's going to end up with him. Clearly whatever's happening now doesn't impact what happens in the future. Despite whatever _True Love_ you think you share, she clearly doesn't love you enough to–"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off with a harsh smacking sound. Emma's hand retracted slowly after slapping the pirate around the face.

"Don't you fucking dare say that!" She snapped. "Regina loves me just as much as I love her. She _is_ my True Love, and do you know how I know that?" She didn't stop for him to answer, "because not only did our kiss bring back my magic, but it also healed a curse on her! And actually, even more to that, our love is that strong, that _true_ , that we've created a life! Regina is pregnant with my child. _That_ is the reason I'm struggling with leaving. I have a child back in Storybrooke who I miss more than anything. I have a baby brother whose name I don't know, and I finally have my parents in my life. But despite all of that, I have finally found my True Love and we're expecting a baby that was created by how powerful our love is. That's why I don't want to go." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Look, we will make it back one day, it's just not going to be any time soon. I need to support Regina through the pregnancy and I want to meet my child. I need to."

The two were silent for a while. Hook was trying to wrap his head around everything Emma had just said while Emma was just waiting for him to say something. She didn't want to anger him further, so she just sat staring into the distance.

She had no idea how long the silence lasted but eventually, Hook cleared his throat and looked at her. "There's no baby, or child, in the future," he said quietly.

"I know," Emma replied, just as quietly.

"So, what does that mean?" He asked.

Emma didn't respond for a while, but when she did, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I have no idea."

oOoOo

There wasn't really much to say after that revelation. The blonde revealed that her living arrangements had changed and that she was no longer working for Henry. Hook wasn't surprised at that. She also promised him again that she would get them home eventually. It was just going to take some time and patience.

He looked sceptically at her but nodded, accepting that there was nothing he could do or say that would change her mind. They also agreed to meet up again in a month so that Hook didn't have to waste his time every other week. She also made sure that he didn't blab about the pregnancy. God knows that information couldn't be revealed yet. In the wrong hands it was too dangerous.

Reluctantly, she allowed him to hug her goodbye before she waved her hand and removed the disillusion spell and the chairs. Finally, the two parted ways, Hook going back to the Jolly Roger and Emma retuning to the castle.

It was starting to get dark when Emma finally walked into her bedroom. She was barely through the door when her vision was blocked and something pressed against her. In a heartbeat, she recognised the sweet floral smell and the feel of the body pressed tightly against her. Emma wrapped her around the Queen and pulled her closer and kissed her hair.

"Hello, my love," Emma said softly. Regina didn't reply or pull back, if anything, she clung on tighter. "Hey, Ginny, what's wrong?" She felt Regina's lips move against her neck, but she couldn't make out a word she said. "Baby?"

Slowly, Regina shifted back but kept her voice low. "I didn't think you'd be gone so long," she muttered and finally looked up and met the worried green gaze. "At first, I thought he'd hurt you and then I thought, maybe you'd gone back and I started to panic and–"

Emma cut her off with a soft kiss. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised once more. "Please stop worrying, it's not good for the baby."

Regina nodded slowly and bit her lip nervously. "How did it go?" She asked.

"How about this, let's get some food, because I'm starving, and I'll tell you over dinner?" Emma suggested. It really had been a long day and she'd not eaten since breakfast.

"Okay, but can we eat in here?" The Queen requested. "I don't really want to get dressed up."

"Whatever you wish," Emma replied. "I'll go inform the chef."

Before long, the two were sitting in bed, surrounded by a platter of nibbles. Fortunately, the chef had yet to start dinner and was able to make a Tapas style meal. They had several small bowls of dips, humous, olives and many sliced up vegetables and pita bread. It was delicious.

Emma was digging in, scooping up the humous on everything she picked up, on carrots, cucumber and bread. When she picked up an olive and dunked it in the humous, Regina pulled a face.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"That looks disgusting," Regina replied and grimaced.

"Just you wait," Emma said and laughed, "you're going to be eating a mix of foods you'd never expect to go together. When I was pregnant with Henry, I couldn't stop eating peanut butter on everything. On toast, with chicken and even in a curry."

"What's peanut butter?" Regina asked and Emma couldn't stop laughing.

"Just wait until you get to Storybrooke," Emma answered, "it's delicious."

Regina looked sceptical but allowed it. She picked up an olive, sans humous, and popped it her mouth. "Now, how did things go with the pirate?"

At the question, Emma sighed. She put down her food and sipped her water. She had decided a few days ago that if Regina couldn't drink, it would be unfair to drink in front of her. The Queen had said she didn't mind but Emma did it anyway.

"I told him the truth," she began before telling Regina just what happened. When she started revealing what Hook had said about Regina and Robin, her eyes darkened and she stumbled over her words. "I just…just got so mad! I slapped him. I should have punched him. I should have fucking cursed him!" She then felt Regina's hands on hers and she realised that she'd balled her hands into fists in anger and hadn't noticed. At the feel of the Queen's hands on hers, she relaxed them and allowed Regina to tangle their fingers together.

"I don't know what's going to happen for me to end up with the lion tattoo man," Regina said softly, "but I'm sure it'll all be sorted when you go back. I'll remember what happened and we can be together. You, me, Henry and the baby."

Emma was surprised that Regina didn't mention her father, but she didn't want to bring that up in case Regina asked why her father wasn't in Storybrooke with them. That wasn't her place.

"And as for what he said about our love, we both know that isn't true," Regina added. "I mean, how else am I pregnant?" She brought one of their combined hands and rested them on her stomach. "This baby is all ours."

"I know," Emma replied with a small smile. "I told him as much." She took a deep breath. "I know I've said this a lot, but I'll keep telling you, specially after earlier. I love you and I love our baby. I'm not going anywhere and _if_ I do, it won't be by choice." Emma started to choke up on her words. "You're everything to me, Regina, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh Em," Regina said softly. "I hope you'll never have to find out, but we both know, we're going to be without each other for an unknown amount of time, so we need to make the most out of now." With a wave of her hand, she moved the food from the middle of the bed to her desk. Emma watched it go with a confused face. "I believe someone promised me my favourite position earlier," Regina sassed, lightening up the conversation. Emma's face went from confused to lustful. She closed the gap between the two of them and pulled the Queen into a passionate kiss. The serious moment was broken. She knew the conversation would come back again, but for now, she wanted to make love to her Queen.


	17. Chapter 17

The beginning of Regina's pregnancy wasn't particularly smooth sailing. The Queen was often sick, averaging three bathroom visits for throwing up every day. Sometimes Emma went with her and other times she left her alone, depending on what mood the Queen was in. Most of the time, she allowed Emma to come help her but sometimes, her independent side came out and she refused any help.

Their relationship was still going swimmingly, despite the pregnancy and the, well, you know, the fact that Emma was from the future. Aside from that, everything was going well. Up until Regina came in one evening after an all-day meeting with the royal advisors.

Emma was sitting up in bed with a book in her lap, the typical sight for Regina to return to. However, as soon as the Queen stepped into the room, Emma realised something wasn't quite right. For one, Regina didn't even greet the blonde. Usually, the Queen would walk over to her and kiss her or at least give her a quick peck before changing into looser clothes. This evening, however, she didn't even look in Emma's direction before heading into her wardrobe.

After five minutes, Regina still hadn't returned. Concerned, Emma folded the page of her book before sliding off the bed and heading to their wardrobe.

She poked her head around the corner and saw the Queen flicking through her dresses, as if looking for the perfect one.

Emma cocked her head to the side. "Regina?" She called softly. "What's going on?"

The Queen didn't turn at first, just trailed her fingers across a couple more fabrics.

Cautiously, Emma entered the wardrobe. She crossed the space until she was standing in front of the Queen. "Ginny?"

"I have to go on a visit," Regina murmured quietly, still not facing the blonde.

"Oh right, when?" Emma asked.

Finally, the Queen turned around, but guilt was plastered on her beautiful face. "Tomorrow," she sighed, one arm crossing over her body and the other reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to," she added hastily, "but apparently it's overdue." She rolled her eyes. "They've already arranged it. I have three kingdoms to visit and dine with. I start tomorrow with King Midas, the next day with King George and the final day," she took a deep breath and her eyes narrowed in distaste, "is with my uncle."

Emma's eyes widened. "Your uncle?" She knew that Regina came from distant royalty before she married the King, but she wasn't aware of just how.

Regina nodded before sighing once more. "Let's go get some dinner," she suggested, "and I'll tell you everything."

Still confused, Emma nodded and followed the Queen to the dining room where the lead server was just finishing up setting the table.

"Your Majesty," he greeted with a low bow before turning to Emma and repeating his actions. "Lady Emma."

"Good evening, Lumiere," the blonde replied, still struggling to hide her laugh at his name. The server dipped his head before returning to the kitchen to collect their food.

Emma looked expectantly at her love, but Regina didn't reply. She simply sat down at the head of the table and waited for the blonde to join her.

Before long, the servers had brought out a large carafe of water and their starters which this evening was a simple bowl of tomato soup. Regina dug in immediately, the baby was currently cooperating and allowing her to eat today.

Emma, however, didn't even pick up her spoon. "Regina, please tell me what's going on," she requested.

With a sigh, Regina put down her spoon. "My Uncle Xavier and my father do not get along. Daddy doesn't want me to go."

"Your father knew about the meeting before me?" Emma asked, her brows furrowing. "How long have _you_ known about the trip?"

At the question, the Queen bit her lip. "They told me about it a week ago," she revealed. "Nothing was for certain until today," she added quickly.

"But you knew it was possibly coming and didn't tell me," Emma stated, hurt clear in her voice. "We're meant to be partners, Regina. I know I'm not part of your royal court, but you've always told me when you've had trips before. Why is this one any different?"

"Because I'm going to be gone for three days and with the pregnancy, I thought you wouldn't want me to go," Regina revealed.

Emma's mouth dropped open in shock. "Sorry what?" Her voice cracked. "You thought I wouldn't let you go? I just said I was your partner, not your mother. I'm not going to tell you what to do, Regina. You're the Queen, you have responsibilities, I get that. You're right, I don't really want you to go, but it's not because of the pregnancy," she sighed exasperatedly, "it's because I'll miss you." She scraped her chair back and stood up. "I'll talk to you later."

And with that, she walked out of the room, ignoring the Queen's cry of, "Emma!" as she left. She carried on walking until she was face to face with Regina's apple tree once more. She felt the chill in the air again, but instead of sitting in the cold like last time, she snapped her fingers and a warm shawl settled around her shoulders, as if cuddling her.

She just couldn't believe Regina sometimes! She actually believed that Emma wouldn't let her leave? She was only eight weeks pregnant. A trip wasn't going to affect her, especially when she was going to be surrounded by her guards who worshiped her and would notice if something was wrong. Emma just couldn't fathom why Regina hadn't even mentioned the trip in the passing week. With a sigh, she leant forward and rested her head in her hands.

oOoOo

With a clearer mind, Emma slowly made her way back into the castle. She reached the dining room and popped her head in and saw that the table still had their soups at their places, but the Queen wasn't to be seen. Emma was about to head to their bedroom when she noticed movement on the balcony. As she got closer, she saw Regina' silhouette resting against the railing.

"Hi," Emma said nervously as she walked up to stand beside the Queen. She didn't face her, simply looked out over the kingdom.

At first, it didn't seem like she was going to reply, the Queen kept her eyes forward and her body stiff.

"I'm sorry for not telling you," the Queen replied quietly before finally turning and saw Emma turn to look at her.

"I'm sorry for walking away," Emma admitted. "'You know me, sometimes I just have to remove myself from a situation when I don't know how to react."

Regina reached forward and cupped Emma's cheek. "I know," she murmured. "I should have told you though, as soon as I heard. I was just worried."

Emma smiled softly. "Never be worried," she assured her before kissing her softly. "I love you. I just want you to be safe and keep me in the loop."

The Queen nodded. "I promise," she whispered before leaning forward and pressing a sweet kiss to Emma's lips again. "Now, let's go finish dinner and I'll continue telling you about my stupid uncle."

At the harshness of Regina's tones, Emma's brows shot up. "Then let's get eating."

The two headed back to the table. Regina waved her had over their soups to reheat them and they quickly dug in, both realising just how hungry they were. Both were too distracted to speak at first and their soups were replaced with their mains which was a steak pie and greens. Emma pulled her face at the veg but allowed it.

After a couple of bites, the Queen cleared her throat and set her knife and fork down. "My father is the youngest of five brothers," she began. "The fourth died young and the third ran off with a peasant, which my grandfather was furious about. The second embraced life to the full. He married his childhood sweetheart which was a princess from another land. The eldest, Xavier the third, was selfish, rude and just simply, not a very nice man. He ridiculed my father whenever he could and my grandfather never battered an eyelid. Even now, Xavier will go out of his way to belittle my father as if he's the best." She then smirked. "And now he's furious that his niece holds the biggest crown in the Realm."

Emma laughed. "You are the Queen of the castle, my love."

"Exactly," Regina nodded and flashed her pearly white teeth before becoming serious. "So, Daddy thinks that he's going to try something during this trip," she took a deep breath, "especially if he finds out I'm pregnant."

At this, Emma felt a shiver down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"His son, typically called Xavier the fourth, hates his father and there's a lot of strife in the kingdom," Regina revealed reluctantly. "Xavi is waiting for his father to die and my father and I are worried he'll try something."

"Are you able to go on the trip without going to his kingdom?" Emma asked, hoping to hear an answer that she wanted.

Unfortunately, the Queen shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "But I'll be alright. I'll be back before you know it."

oOoOo

Before they knew it, the morning came around and it was time for Regina to leave. The rest of their dinner the night before was relaxed and they kept the topic away from the impending trip. They woke up cuddled in each other's arms, Regina's head was tucked into the nape of Emma's neck and her leg cocked over Emma's hip.

They were awoken by a knock on the door, a wake up call the Queen had arranged so that she wouldn't be late. She had to leave at 9:30 as it took four hours by carriage to get to King Midas' castle. She didn't want to transport with her guards and definitely didn't want to while pregnant. She hadn't yet read up on it, but she was cautious about it.

"Don't leave," Emma practically whined when Regina started to unwrap herself and the blonde clung on tighter making the Queen laugh.

She kissed Emma's temple. "I have to, my darling. Just think, the sooner I'm gone, the sooner I'm back."

"Please don't leave," Emma repeated sleepily. "I want my morning snuggles with my cuddle buddy."

The Queen smiled and embraced her love closer for a few moments before regretfully pulling back. "It's already 9."

She pecked Emma's pout and finally slipped out of bed before heading into the wardrobe. After fifteen minutes, she returned to their bedroom wearing a burgundy long sleeved dress. Her makeup was done to perfection with deep sultry eyes and her signature red lips.

"You look amazing," Emma breathed, her eyes glazed over with love and lust. She crawled forward on the bed, allowing the sheets to drop and reveal her naked body, until she was in front of the Queen. She wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her softly to not smudge her lipstick. "I don't want to let you leave looking like that."

Regina looped her arms loosely around Emma's neck and gave her a quick Eskimo kiss, making the blonde blush. "I have to look the part, my love." She kissed her again. "Now, I really have to go. I'll have breakfast in the carriage. My father is set to cover my duties for the next couple of days and is keeping you company for dinner tonight. I love you and I'll see you in a few days."

She leant forward and kissed Emma with all she had, showing how much she loved her and would miss her.

"I love you too," Emma said. "If anything happens, let me know as soon as you can."

The Queen nodded. "I promise." She kissed her once more softly. "I'll see you soon." A final kiss and the Queen backed away from the bed and reluctantly left the room.

Emma flopped back in the bed, the back of her hand resting against her forehead, trying to figure out what to do with her time now Regina was gone. As Regina had said, Henry was covering any royal business, which was mainly a budget meeting and greeting the public that Regina reluctantly did every couple of weeks as was required by the Queen.

After a while, she started to get peckish. She rolled out of bed and pulled her gown on, stretching as she walked to the dining room. She sat down and Lumiere walking in carrying a teapot and mug.

"Good morning, Lady Emma," he greeted with a smile. "What would you like for breakfast this morning?"

Emma thought for a few seconds. "Could I have some pancakes? Topped with syrup?" She bit her lip nervously, hoping they existed in this time and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when Lumiere nodded.

"Of course, milady, I'll have the chef prepare those now," he replied as he poured her tea.

"Thanks!" Emma beamed in excitement before sipping her tea and shutting her eyes as if that would savour the taste more. "Perfection as always, Lumiere."

The server smiled before dipping his head and returning to the kitchen. Not fifteen minutes later, Emma was presented with more pancakes than necessary and a gravy boat full of maple syrup. She rubbed her hands in anticipation before digging in.

Once her breakfast was finished, Emma started her day. She headed to the washroom and waved her hand to create a perfect bath. If she were being honest with herself, she did miss indoor plumbing and showers, but that wasn't important for now as she sank into the heated waves.

After her bath, she slipped into a warm deep grey jumper dress and headed to the library as was typical. However, to mix things up, she headed to the small spell book section that Regina had introduced her to a week ago. The spell books there held the simple spells that the Queen wanted Emma to get to grips with.

Well, there was no time like the present. The blonde picked up a couple of books and settled into an armchair by the fire. With a wave of her hand, the fire erupted in flickering bright flames and a hot chocolate settled on the table in front of her. After a sip of the beverage and a lick of her lips, Emma picked up the first book and started to read.

The first book was rather dull, consisting of basic cooking spells. How to boil water or how to get a knife to do the work for you. Both of these, Emma felt quietly confident about. There was one spell that she noted, how to get scissors to move independently, something that could come in useful when she wanted to undress the Queen in a different way. Sure, Regina wouldn't be impressed with one of her dresses getting sliced, but the rage it would create would just add a new level of fire to their activities.

The second book was much more useful for the blonde; it was full of household spells, something Emma should really use when she got back to Storybrooke. She found the spells to get brooms to work alone and with dustpans to collect the dirt. Though, she did wonder if the spell could also be used on a hoover once she was home as she didn't even know if her mother owned a dustpan and brush. She also read how to remove stains in the kitchen which she knew would come in useful as she wasn't the most talented cook and she tended to burn things whenever she was tasked with cooking.

However, just as she was getting to the end of the book, there was a loose sheet of parchment tucked away in the pages describing how to make your bed and iron your clothes. The page was full of annotations in an unfamiliar hand but at the same time, it wasn't too different from a handwriting she knew well. Emma soon deducted that this must have been written by Cora. She did her capital letters the same as Regina but with an added flourish.

Intrigued, Emma began scanning the page and it clearly didn't belong to this book. That was obvious from the title, " _Time Travel, a gift of a curse?"_ Emma's heart started to beat quicker in anticipation. Did this page hold the answer she was seeking? Sure, she didn't want to go yet, but if she found out how, then she could use it when it was time to leave.

Some of the writings were hard to make out, Cora had crossed out some words and added her personal opinion. However, Emma got to end of the page and flumped back in disappointment. The answer wasn't on this page. She turned it over and saw that it was a contents page of a book. The first section was all on Time Travel. Hopeful, Emma stood and headed back over the shelves of spell books, trying to find the one that matched the sheet in her hand. She knew the chances of finding it were slim. Cora wouldn't have kept any of her personal books in a communal library.

Stumped, Emma flopped back in her chair. She had no idea where Cora would have kept her personal spell books. Would she have even brought them to the castle when Regina moved in with the King? There was only one way to find out.

With her mind made up, Emma waved her hand and put out the fire before heading in the direction of Regina's small laboratory in hope to find a locator spell, with the idea that if she poured a little on the book page, she'd be able to find the book it came from. It was a longshot, but it was the only thing she had going for her at the moment.

Once she entered the laboratory, she cast her mind back to try and remember what the locator looked like. Regina compartmentalised her potions and ingredients separately, so Emma started with the crate of completed potions. She picked up each small possible vial and looked at the label to try and identify the right one. Many she returned hastily, not wanting to know what they did from the look or smell of them. Others she saw the label and quickly returned, terrified at the prospect of them.

Then after around an hour of searching through the ginormous crate, she found what she was looking for. A shelf of three locator spells. With a satisfied smile, she uncorked the selected bottle and poured a couple of drops on the parchment and held her breath. It took a couple of seconds before the parchment rose out of her hand and started drifting away. Quickly, Emma set after it.

It didn't take her long to reach the destination of the book and Emma almost face palmed at her own stupidity because _of course_ the book would be in the crypt that was yet to house Cora, who the last time Emma heard, was very much alive in Wonderland. Either way, she knew Regina wouldn't be impressed if she went to the crypt, but, then again, Regina was away for a few days. She wouldn't know that Emma had been in there. She quickly made up her mind and waved her hand, removing the lock on the room and entered. With a flick of her wrist, she lit the candles in the room to allow her to see.

The page headed to a far corner and started tapping on an old chest, indicating that the book lied within. Nervously, Emma crossed the room and slowly lifted up the lid, praying nothing would jump out at her. Much to her surprised, the page simply settled on top of a dark green skinned book. Cautiously, Emma picked up the book and slowly opened it. The loose page slotted itself back in to the front page and the seam glowed as it sealed the tear.

Emma glanced around the room and found a red leather armchair. She settled herself and slowly opened the book. Soon enough, she found the spell that Zelena would create in the future. The diagrams were sick, showing possible ways to gather someone's courage and Emma was thankful that Zelena had used the method that she had. It still wasn't great, but at least her father was still alive!

At first, it seemed like there was no such thing as a counter curse for the spell should you end up in the wrong time or finish your time there. She began flicking through the pages almost frantically in panic until finally, she saw the passage she was looking for.

" _A warning there should be as there is no counter spell for this curse,_

 _Should you achieve returning to the past, beware, things could get worse._

 _Believe me, once you arrive, there you will stay,_

 _Until the time catches up with you or worse things come to play._

 _That does not mean you will stay until the time you left greets you once more,_

 _No, this is when the forces of time catch up with you and we must implore:_

 _Something will trigger this, but the trigger will not be clear,_

 _You will return to the time from whence you came, back to the age you were to the year._

 _Be prepared and you must understand,_

 _You should not play with the time's hand."_

Emma's eyes widened at the text. Yes, she finally had the answer on how to get back to Storybrooke, but really, she was just as clueless as she was before.

 _A/N: just a quick shout out for those who are worried about the new timeline with Emma being in the past, don't worry, I have a plan. You'll just have to keep reading to find out! Love, Emss x_


	18. Chapter 18

Emma didn't know what to do with herself now she finally had the information she needed. Thoughts were whirling around her brain as she tried to wrap her head around what she had just read. She snapped the book shut and stared at the front cover, as if hoping it would shout out what the trigger would be. If she could figure that out, she could avoid it for as long as necessary. However, she knew that wasn't the case. The book clearly stated the trigger would not be clear. With an exasperated sigh, she slowly stood and returned to book from where she found it and left the crypt, hoping Regina would never realise she had been there.

As she wandered back to her rooms, she realised that she needed to keep busy so that she wouldn't keep thinking about what she'd read. She could go into the village and see if the market was running but she didn't really want to go out into the cold. She could always go back to the library and read but this time stay away from the spell books but then thought against it. As much as she loved reading, sometimes it got a little much. In the end, she decided to go visit Laverne and Esmeralda, hoping they would distract her until it was time for dinner with Henry.

She made her way to Henry's quarters, greeting some of the nicer guards as she went. Some of the nastier ones simply sneered at her. They no longer knew that Emma was the one who let Snow White go, but they knew she was the reason that Captain Frollo had been dismissed and they were not happy about it. Emma tried to rush past those ones as quickly as possible.

Before long, Emma arrived at her destination and made her way to the kitchen, but the sight that greeted her wasn't what she expected. There was a young woman sitting at the table with a mug in her hands. Her long dark red hair was unkempt, and her eyes were red with dark under circles. She looked absolutely exhausted.

"Hey," Emma said softly. "Is everything alright?"

The woman turned and gasped in shock, her mug shook and splashed tea over the side, the hot liquid landing on her hand.

"Ow!" The gasped and shook her hand, trying to get rid of the tea.

"Shit!" Emma cried. "I'm so sorry!" She crossed the room and picked up a cloth to wipe up the mess. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Nervously, the woman looked up. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm looking for Esmeralda or Laverne," Emma replied. "Are they here?"

The redhead shook her head. "Laverne has gone to the market and Esmeralda's son is sick so she's off today looking after him." She sighed. "It's just me. But where are my manners? I'm Megara, the new maid, but my friends call me Meg, well they would if I had any."

"I'm Emma," the blonde greeted and held her hand out to shake Meg's. She ignored the redhead's greeting that was taken directly from Hercules, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. "I used to be a maid here."

Meg's eyes widened. "You're the one who now lives with the Queen! Esmeralda told me about you."

Emma nodded and half smiled. "Umm, yeah." She rocked on her feet. Her big idea to hang out with her friends to distract her from what she read was quickly going down the drain before it had barely materialised. Then she remembered what she walked in on. "Is everything alright down here? You looked a little out of it when I came in."

Meg sighed. "I'm just…I don't know, the job isn't what I thought," she said eventually, her shoulders shrugging. _Ping!_ Emma's lie detector went off. It had been a while since anything had registered as a lie to her. "There are so many pressures on me."

Intrigued, Emma decided to stay, wanting to know just why the woman was lying and what she was lying about. Whatever was going on, it wasn't the job that was causing her strife.

Deciding it was best, Emma took a seat beside the new maid. "Want to talk about it?" She offered. This would take her mind off the spell book, yes, but it would also help Emma delve into what was going on.

"I just keep mixing things up and I'm a little clumsy," she revealed. "I tripped yesterday and broke one of Sir Henry's precious vases. He said it was okay, that it could be fixed, but Esmeralda wasn't happy with me. I'm pretty sure she's plotting to get rid of me."

Emma laughed nervously, knowing that was indeed what the brunette was planning. "Where is the vase?" She asked instead of admitting that.

Meg pointed to the counter where there was a pile of something covered by a cloth. Emma stood and walked over to it, lifting the cloth away. She recognised the pattern on the clay from Henry's bedroom. The vase had lived above his fireplace. With a wave of her hand, the small fragments flew into the air and swirled as they combined to form the vase. Slowly it settled on the counter, as good as new.

Emma turned and saw the redhead staring at the vase in utter amazement. She turned her head and looked at Emma, her eyes wide. She rose from her chair and rushed over to the blonde.

"You have magic?!" Meg cried. Emma nodded slowly and tried not to roll her eyes at the obvious. "Can you teach me?" Meg asked, she reached out and gripped Emma's arm in excitement. "If I had magic, I could do my job so much better. I could fix things if I broke them. Then maybe Esmeralda wouldn't hate me."

Another ping. Yes, Meg wanted magic, but it wasn't for the reason she stated. The blonde took a step back and loosened Meg's grip on her arm, shaking her head slowly. "No, because I barely know how to use mine," Emma slowly, carefully. "I was born with my magic, I don't know how to teach it out of nothing."

Suddenly, there was a fire in Meg's eyes. A spark that flashed so rapidly, Emma had no idea where it came from. It was as if a switch had been flicked and ignited something from within. "Is that how you got in with the Queen?" She asked, her voice low, dangerous, threatening. "You cursed her so that you could get in her bed."

"What?!" Emma gasped out, her eyes wide, completely shocked at the turn of events. Her heartbeat thumped loudly in her chest as she started to panic. "What are you talking about?"

Emma had no idea how the young maid knew about her relationship with the Queen. She looked to the floor in deep thought. No one knew the that Emma and Regina were actually together aside from Henry… wait, there was one other who knew, or who implied that he knew. Captain Frollo. Her head snapped to the younger woman in front of her.

Meg was smirking, clearly satisfied with what was happening. "Oh yes, Emma, I know all about you and our dear Queen. I know the Queen isn't in love with your make-believe brother." She laughed humourlessly. "I know exactly who is warming the Queen's bed at night." She took a step closer to the blonde who was routed to the spot in shock. "I know about the pregnancy and," she whispered directly into Emma's ear, "I know just who impregnated the Queen."

Emma's blood went cold and something in her snapped. Within moments, she backed away from the redhead and outstretched her arm, cupping the air as Megara was thrown against the far wall clutching at the invisible force against her throat.

"How do you know that?!" Emma demanded, slowly walking forward. "Who told you!"

Meg's face started to turn the colour of her hair as she struggled to breath. She couldn't get any words out. Realising this, Emma loosened her grip. She'd never had to use the spell before, but Regina had taught her it for emergencies in Storybrooke. She'd said there was a knack to getting it perfect, tight enough to hurt but loose enough so that the victim could still talk. It seemed Emma hadn't quite got the balanced right.

With the loosened the grip, Meg fell to the floor in a heap, coughing as she tried to regain her breath, but Emma was on her again in seconds, an anger flooding through her that she'd not felt in a very long time. She pushed out her hand and Meg flew into the wall, pressed by an invisible force around her wrists instead of her throat.

"I won't ask you again," Emma hissed. "How do you know all of this?"

"My husband," Meg choked out eventually, her throat sore from being compressed. "He knew everything, he knows everything. The Queen got rid of him because of what he knew."

An evil face flashed before Emma's eyes. She knew exactly who Meg was married too.

"Frollo," Emma said through gritted teeth. Her hand slipped and the redhead crashed to the floor once more. "You're actually married to that monster?"

"Don't you dare!" Meg spat, her angry gaze looking up at the blonde. "He's not a monster!"

"He attacked me! He tried to _rape_ me," Emma's voice broke as she finally admitted the truth about the man. Despite telling Regina what had happened, the two had never used that word. "The Queen didn't get rid of him because of anything he knows, it was because of what he did!"

However, this didn't seem like news to the other woman. "You deserved it. You let the traitor go, the Queen should have had your head!" Meg's body was shaking with fury. "He lost his job because you've cursed the Queen. He can't get another job, no one will take him, so I had to start working and he's at home with our son."

It then finally dawned on Emma the truth to why Meg wanted magic. It wasn't so that she could clean better at all. "You want to use magic on your son," she whispered.

Finally, Meg showed some guilt. "I love my son, but he's disfigured, he's going to have a horrible life if we can't fix him."

"The only thing that needs fixing here is your attitude," Emma cried, completely disgusted with everything she heard. Sure, it had taken her mind off the spell book, but it had caused a shit tonne of other problems. "I'm done here."

Emma turned and started to leave the room.

"If you or the Queen don't help me with magic, the entire Kingdom will know about the Queen's pregnancy and just who is behind it all," Megara threatened.

"No one would believe you," Emma said quietly, turning her head to the side.

Meg scoffed. "Claude was the Captain of the Queen's guards and was sacked for a reason," she said bitterly. "He knows the inner workings of the castle. No one would be foolish as to disbelieve him."

At this, Emma still didn't turn, realising Meg had a point. Instead, she started to walk out of the room without looking back.

"You have two days," Meg called to her retreating back. "Then everyone will know!"

oOoOo

As soon as Emma left the kitchen, she raced to find Henry. Her breathing was erratic as she ran down the hallway, glancing into every room where he could possibly be. He wasn't in his bedroom or living room and he wasn't in any of the libraries. She was starting to panic until she remembered that he was taking over Regina's duties for the week, meaning he was in the treasury meeting. Knowing she couldn't wait any longer, she rushed to the large meeting chamber, hoping that he was there. If he wasn't, she was going to have to use another locator spell to find him.

She reached the chamber and pounded on the door until one of the servants opened it. There, in the centre of the table, sat Henry, surrounded by all the royal advisers. Emma gulped a deep breath in to calm down.

"I'm so sorry to disturb," she choked out, "but I really need to speak with Sir Henry," Henry met her gaze and saw her panic, "it's urgent."

Henry heard the fear and plead in her voice. "I do apologise gentlemen, but we will have to pause this meeting," he announced as he stood. He walked over to Emma and motioned to the door. "Lead the way."

Emma led him to a far sitting room, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she walked along the corridors. Once inside, she shut the door with a snap behind them and sealed it with the most powerful locking spell she could think of and also soundproofed the room. Another wave and she produced a tea pot, two cups and saucers and Henry started pouring the tea. When they were ready, Emma picked hers up. Her hands were shaking so much that the cup clattered against the saucer, emphasising how scared she was.

"What's going on?" He asked after a few minutes of silence, allowing Emma to take a few sips to calm down.

Gently, Emma placed her cup and saucer down on table in front of her before slowly looking at Henry. "I don't know where to start," she muttered quietly.

"How about the beginning?" Henty suggested.

With a deep breath, Emma nodded. "Well, firstly, I think I've found out how to get back to the future," she revealed slowly, "but that's not what's brought this on."

"Emma, you're not making much sense," Henry said kindly. "Take a deep breath and start again."

"I've no idea how but someone knows about Regina's pregnancy," Emma said hesitantly, "the truth about Regina's pregnancy," Emma took a deep breath, "and they plan on a revealing it to the Kingdom in two days if I don't agree to give her magic lessons."

Henry's eyes went wide at Emma's revelation. "Tell me everything," he requested.

So Emma did.

When she finished telling him about the confrontation with Meg, who Henry was horrified to learn was behind it, Henry was flabbergasted. Utterly and completely in shock. Emma, on the other hand, was silent. Not knowing what to say now. She even revealed about the choking spell she'd used. She wasn't proud of it but knew that it would be better that Henry had all the facts.

Henry was quiet for a few moments as he thought it all through, trying to come up with a solution. For now, the two ignored the fact that Emma had found out how to get back to the future, that wasn't what was pressing.

"Regina must come home," Henry decided quickly, "immediately. She's not safe out there if people know, especially if it's her old captain. He'll still have contact with some of the guards here."

"I'll go," Emma said quickly but Henry shook his head.

"No," he said at once, "your magic is growing strong from what Regina tells me, but this is too far away. It's a different Kingdom and you don't know where it is." He paused as he thought. "King Midas' castle is a four-hour journey from here. She should have just arrived. I will have our best horseman travel with a note to send her home immediately. He will be able to get there in three hours."

"Then what?" Emma asked nervously.

"We tell her the truth."

With that decided, Emma undid the spells on the door so that Henry could get to work. He wrote a concise note advising that it was imperative that Regina must return home immediately. He didn't go into detail but advised that she couldn't delay.

Once the letter was sent, there was nothing Emma could do but wait. Henry returned to the meeting she had pulled him from, advising that they had to act normal as best they could until Regina returned home. Emma, on the other hand, had nothing to do until the Queen returned. She couldn't get her mind off it all.

All she wanted was to wrap her arms around Regina and protect her and the baby and not let anyone get to them. She needed her love home and she needed her now. But it would be late evening before she returned and Emma had to keep busy to pass the time away. In the end, she decided to reread Her Handsome Hero in hope that Gideon could keep her company to pass the time.

oOoOo

Several hours later, Regina crashed through the doors of the castle and headed up to her small sitting room where Henry and Emma were waiting for her. As soon as the Queen stepped through the door, Emma jumped up from the sofa and rushed to her, throwing her arms around her neck, breathing in her regal smell.

"Emma!" Regina gasped in shock of the contact before wrapping her arms around the blonde. "What's going on? Why was I summoned back?"

Emma pulled back guiltily, her eyes already swimming with tears. She crashed their lips together, needing to feel Regina. The Queen kissed her back despite being confused. Slowly, Emma broke the kiss and looked her love in the eye. "Things have gone to shit, my love," she revealed slowly. "Frollo wants revenge."

At the sound of her old Captains name, Regina's face paled. She knew what he was like, she knew how brutal he was. "Tell me everything."

Emma led the Queen to the sofa and allowed her to sit in the middle of her and Henry. Unlike before when Emma began her story with finding the time travel spell, Emma simply began by saying she was looking for Esmeralda and Laverne to pass some time as she was bored and that was how she started talking to Megara.

Emma's voice almost went hoarse as she retold every single detail, once again including the strangulation spell. Regina's eyes went wide at this, surprised that Emma was so angry at the matter and was that protective over her.

"They want me or you to teach Megara magic," Emma revealed slowly. "Otherwise they're going to tell the entire Kingdom and most likely the entire Realm about the pregnancy and just how you got pregnant." Emma took a deep breath. "Megara's right, everyone will believe him because he still has access to the castle."

Once the blonde finished speaking, no one else spoke. Henry knew all the information and was trying to see if any more of it made sense when hearing it a second time. For Regina, she was hearing it all for the first time and was trying to make heads and tails of it. It was difficult, but she was grasping it.

Firstly, she turned to her father. "She must leave," she insisted, and Henry nodded, "but not immediately. We can't panic her. We have to make it seem like she's winning. They'll most likely know that I have been called back and will know that we are discussing what they have threatened. But when this is all over, she and Claude are to be removed from the Kingdom, get them as far away from here as possible." Once more, Henry nodded, concurring completely with his daughter. "As for his threat, I don't really know what to suggest."

She looked up to Emma and saw the blonde biting her lip nervously. Reaching out, she took Emma's hand and laced their fingers together.

"I'm so sorry," Emma whispered.

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "Oh honey, what are you sorry about?" She asked gently.

"It's all my fault!" Emma cried and a sole tear escaped and slipped down her cheek. She quickly reached up to wipe it away, but Regina was quicker, moving her free hand to thumb the tear away. "I should never have stayed down there when she started saying that."

"It's not your fault at all, my love," Regina reassured her. "They were going to make their move at some point. Your going down there and bumping into her just spurred things along." She looked at her father. "Do you have any suggestions? You've been rather quiet."

Henry took a deep breath before slowly nodding. "I have one, but I don't think either of you are going to like it."

"What is it?" Regina asked, a slight snap in her voice, annoyed that her father was delaying revealing his idea. "Daddy, please."

"As you've not revealed to anyone else beside Laverne and Esmeralda about the story we came up with about the pregnancy," he began, "I believe we should tell the Kingdom the truth first."

"What?" Emma gasped quietly, not quite believing her ears.

Henry looked Emma directly in the eye. "I believe we should tell the Kingdom that you are the reason that the Queen is pregnant."


	19. Chapter 19

"Henry, have you lost your mind?" Emma asked, gobsmacked. "We can't just reveal to the Kingdom that Regina has been impregnated by a woman! And just _a_ woman, but by _me_!"

Emma stood up, unintentionally snatching her hand away from Regina's as she started to pace in front of the fire place.

"They'll never accept that!" She chuntered more to herself than to Regina and Henry who watched on silently. "They'll be a revolution when they hear that the Queen is with another woman. They won't believe that the baby was created from True Love. They'll think we're lying. They'll think it's witchcraft! They'll think–"

"Emma, that's enough," Regina said softly. Emma looked up and realised that the Queen was standing right in front of her. She'd reached out and gently gripped Emma's shoulders to stop her from pacing. "Enough," she repeated gently before guiding her back the sofa. She waved her hand and produce three steaming cups of tea and pressed one gently into Emma's hands. "Take a drink and calm down, please, my darling, you're worrying me."

Emma stared at the fireplace without really seeing it. Blindly, she lifted her teacup to her lips and took a sip, but it still didn't work. The anger raged within her, boiling deep inside. She took another sip and shut her eyes, trying to imagine the tea slipping down her throat was a magical potion that would calm he and extinguish the internal raging fire. A couple of sips and a deep breath later, her anger started to diminish. Furious she still was, but she was peaceful enough to talk calmly.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw that both Regina and Henry were watching her carefully. Neither quite knew what to do with never seeing the blonde so angry or passionate about something.

She tilted her body and looked the Queen directly in the eye. "I just don't want you or the baby to get hurt in the backlash," she admitted quietly. She reached up and cupped the Queen's face gently between her palms. "You're the most important things to me here, you and the baby, you're everything."

"And we will do everything in our power to protect them, Emma," Henry assured her, speaking for the first time in a few minutes after Emma's meltdown. "We won't let them win."

Slowly, Emma nodded and pulled back from the Queen. "So, what happens?"

The three discussed, calmly, the different possibilities. It was still too early to announce Regina's pregnancy, she was only eight weeks along. However, they realised they didn't have much choice in the matter. Megara and Frollo would announce it soon regardless. Traditionally a Queen's pregnancy would be revealed after she hit the second trimester. Regina had never reached that stage with her last pregnancy to know of the protocol.

There were other aspects that they had to think about too. Emma had to speak to Esmeralda and Laverne about the pregnancy once it was announced and tell them the truth. She wouldn't use a potion and trick them this time. She had to apologise and hope they forgave her.

The final step was what to do about Meg and Frollo. Regina was clear that they were to be banished from the Kingdom and both Emma and Henry agreed wholeheartedly, but it was when that happened that was causing some issues. If they did it too early, they would tell neighbouring Kingdoms of Regina's pregnancy. If they did it too late, they would charge into the castle in fury.

In the end, Regina decided it would be best to invite them into the castle to discuss the prospect of teaching Meg magic to help Quasi. They would be locked in a chamber while Regina announced the pregnancy to the Kingdom and on her return, she would have her most trusted guards lead them out of the Kingdom, but not before she dropped something in their tea. It would be a spell that would prevent them from crossing back over the boarders of her Kingdom. Once they were gone, they could never return and by the time they left, the neighbouring kingdoms would know of the pregnancy.

"Are you sure that'll work?" Emma asked sceptically.

"It's the best I can think of," Regina replied with a sigh. "For now, I need to have a meeting with my advisors and tell them everything. They still do not know the identity of whom I'm courting."

Emma's eyes widened. "You're going to tell them it's me?"

"We don't have a choice, my love," Regina said softly. "Perhaps we should have been truthful from the beginning."

"I'm sorry," Henry muttered. "I didn't think something like this would happen. I just wanted Regina to be safe." He reached out and took her hand.

The Queen smiled sadly at her father, squeezing his hand. "I know, Daddy, but it seems things will never go smoothly for me."

oOoOo

Regina was in meetings the next morning with her advisors as they came up with a plan. They kept going round and round in circles. Some men just wanted to execute both Frollo and Meg to stop the scandal that would erupt. Some agreed with what Regina had suggested. The Queen had been honest from the beginning of the meeting and explained just exactly what had gone on. She had fallen in love with her father's maid, who really was a long-lost princess, and she was pregnant with their baby and now people were threatening to release that information.

By lunch time, Regina was exhausted. They were no closer to making a decision, not in the slightest. Emma joined the Queen at the lunch table. She'd been trying to keep busy all morning but failed miserably. For part of the morning, she'd stood pacing outside the meeting chamber, but the guards around kept giving her odd looks, so she disappeared. She tried to read in the library, but she couldn't concentrate on the page. Instead, she ended up cleaning their bedroom, changing the bedding and dusting every surface. Without magic. She was grateful when she saw it was lunch time. She started to relax at the prospect of seeing the Queen but when she entered and saw how tired she looked, the worry returned full force.

"Ginny?" Emma called softly as she sat beside her love. "How's it all going?"

Regina looked at Emma with a look that clearly said, 'what do you think?' She blinked slowly. "We're not getting anywhere," she revealed slowly. "Some say to execute them while others say to buy their silence. Others are saying nothing at all. It's all rather frustrating."

"What do you say?" Emma asked carefully. She reached out and squeezed the Queen's hand reassuringly.

"I say tell the truth," Regina replied. "I want everything out in the opened. I finally have what I want in life. The woman I love and a baby on the way and I want everyone to know it." Emma smiled at the revelation. "I shouldn't have listened to my father's suggestion in the first place then none of this would have happened."

Emma turned her hand and laced their fingers together. "Don't," she said softly. "It's not his fault, or our fault. It's no one's fault. We just didn't think it all through and just want the best for you." She sighed. "Besides, Frollo was never going to walk away quietly. They would have just figured something else out to get us instead."

Regina sighed, "I suppose. Actually, I was thinking," she trailed off as she tried to think of the right way to phrase it, but instead just blurted out what she wanted. "I want you and Daddy to join us for the afternoon meeting."

The blonde's jaw dropped at the request. "What? Why?"

"We need a united front and it'll be easier if we're all together." Regina paused as Lumiere brought out their chicken salads and a flask of water. The two thanked him before digging in.

"What were you saying, sorry?" Emma said after a few bites. "About a united front or something? How's me being there going to help matters?"

Regina finished her mouthful and smiled. Reaching out, she rested her palm over Emma's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I want you there," she admitted. "From now on, I want to face everything together. We're partners, Emma, and it's about time we started acting like it."

The blonde turned her hand over and linked their fingers together. She smiled nervously. "I'm in."

oOoOo

To say Emma was nervous was an understatement. Slowly, she entered the meeting chamber after the Queen. Regina walked in, owning the room in seconds, all eyes floated to her. Everyone stood immediately and bowed low to her.

"Everyone, this is Emma," Regina announced pointing to the blonde who stood nervously beside her. "I want everyone to pay her with same amount of respect as you pay me and treat her like the Princess she is."

The men in the room looked distrustful of the commanded but nodded their affirmative slowly.

"Yes, your Majesty," the senior advisor agreed.

Emma looked around the room, taking in the faces. She didn't recognise a single one. It was a fraction worrying as it meant that none of these men, there were ten of them, made it to Storybrooke. She swallowed and tried to not think about it.

"Emma, take a seat," Regina murmured quietly, "My father will be along in a minute."

Not two seconds later, Henry walked into the room. "Sorry, I'm late," he announced as he took the empty seat on the other side of the Queen, "let's get this show on the road." He looked up expectantly at the senior advisor. "I'm all ears."

Emma sat in silence as she listened in. Every man seemed to have a different opinion and Emma was struggling to keep up. She found herself glancing towards Regina, trying to read her reaction but she was in full Major, well Queen, mode. Her face was neutral, passive, not giving anything away. Whenever she spoke, her voice was crisp but clear, not revealing anything.

Hours seemed to pass and they were getting nowhere. Every idea suggested was rebuffed by someone else. Some wanted to keep the idea of the make-believe prince and imprison Frollo and Megara and some just wanted to pretend nothing was happened. One even dared to suggest that Regina terminated the pregnancy. A fireball was aimed at him and narrowly missed his head. As was the intention. All eyes turned to the front, expecting to see Regina's arm outstretched but much to their surprise, it was Emma's hand that was illuminated, the fire seemed to be lit in her eyes.

"If you ever suggest that again," Emma said, her voice low, "I will kill you." Regina reached under the table and squeezed Emma's thigh as a thank you. Taking a deep breath, Emma decided it was time to speak. She turned to everyone in the room. "Now, I have heard everything that has been said and really, there's only one solution. The truth. If we're as honest as we can be to the people, they will support us. I am in love with the Queen, we are True Loves, and she is pregnant with my child." She turned and smiled nervously at the brunette before tuning back to the advisors. "As for Megara and Frollo, they're to be banished from the Kingdom and never return."

Henry smiled at Emma's words.

"But the Queen is unmarried!" A junior advisor called. "The Kingdom won't stand for it."

"Then tell them we married," Emma said exasperated, not hearing the sharp intake of breath from Regina as Emma snapped. "If that's the only problem here. We have to stop them before anything gets out, we have to get there first."

"Your Majesty, what's your final decision?" The senior advisor asked and the Queen looked away from the blonde, who was still completely oblivious to her thoughts.

"I agree with Emma," Regina said slowly. "I will write to the other Kings and Queens to announce the pregnancy which will be sent out this evening. We will also send out posters this evening showing that there is going to be an announcement from the castle tomorrow and everyone is invited. I will announce that Emma and I secretly married," her voice hitched again on the word, but she powered through, "and will tell everyone that I am carrying her baby created by True Love." Her tone warmed towards the end and her hand unconsciously rested on her belly.

"What about the blackmailers, my Queen?" Called another advisor.

"I want them called here before they can see the posters," Regina decided. "They are to come with their son. I have a potion in mind that will prevent them from returning to the Kingdom once they cross the boarders. They will be able to watch the announcement and know that we have revealed the truth so that they cannot start spreading it around their new Kingdom. I want to make sure that the guards selected to move them are not the ones who still rally behind Claude. Understood?"

The advisors nodded. "Yes, your Majesty."

Regina took a deep breath. "Then it's decided. We will reveal the truth, mostly, and we will remove the problem. Meeting dismissed."

The advisors nodded once more before filing out of the room to get on with their duties. It would be up to them to create and distribute the posters and write the statement that Regina would announce tomorrow. Of course, the Queen could adapt what they were saying and she would have the last decision but it meant she didn't have to waste her time on that as she had more pressing things to attend to.

She ordered her new captain of the guards to ensure Frollo and Megara came to the castle just before the posters were revealed, which was when the letters would be well on their way to the King to whom it was intended. Once they arrived, they would be kept in a single room until Regina had made her announcement the next morning.

For the afternoon, the Queen was busy writing the letter to the other Kings announcing the pregnancy. She needed to alert them to the earliness of the announcement and make it clear that she was being forced to reveal it, but she didn't want to seem weak during it. It was frustrating trying to get to the right words out and kept reading her letter to her father who was helping her with it.

While Regina wrote the letters, Emma snuck down to Henry's quarters in search for Esmeralda and Laverne, hoping to avoid Megara while she was down there. Henry had yet to dismiss the redhead in attempts to keep things running smoothly for as long as possible.

Emma cast a disillusion spell on her as she reached the entrance, just in case she walked past Meg. Fortunately, the redhead never crossed her path. Emma snuck in to the kitchen and saw Laverne by the stove. With a wave of her hand, Emma removed the spell and revealed herself to the cook.

"Hey," Emma greeted softly and the cook shrieked in surprised, the potato she was peeling flew out of her hand.

"Jesus, Emma!" Laverne cried, clutching her chest. "Don't do that to an old woman! I could have had a heart attack!"

Emma flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!" She walked to the pile of potatoes and waved her hand over them, each rising and shedding their peel. The knife on the side rose to meet them and sliced them into four before they plopped into the pan beside them. "All done," Emma said and smiled cheekily, hoping that doing Laverne's job would make the cook forgive her.

Laverne rolled her eyes and swatted Emma with the towel on the side. "I don't care if you're a princess now, don't do that to me," she laughed. "But thank you. Now, is there a reason you're down? It's quite late for a visit."

"I need to speak with you and Esmeralda," Emma muttered quietly. "It's important."

The cook eyed the blonde cautiously, taking in her worried gaze before nodding. "I'll go fetch her." She left the room, leaving Emma to her thoughts. To distract her, she set about making tea for the three of them manually, so that she had something do with her hands and not think.

Before long, the cook returned with the brunette a couple of steps behind. "Emma!" She greeted happily, giving the blonde a tight hug. "What a lovely surprise."

Emma pulled back and smiled before waving her hand and allowing the newly made cups of tea to float to the table and land gently. The other two were used to Emma's magic now. They took a seat around the table, each one holding onto their tea cups, looking at Emma expectantly.

"Is Megara here?" Emma asked quietly.

Esmeralda shook her head. "No, apparently her son isn't feeling too well today," she answered, her voice thick with disbelief. "I mean, Zephyr wasn't very well yesterday so there might be something going around, but I don't know if I believe her. Laverne said she was acting rather odd yesterday."

The cook nodded her agreement. "Yes, she was very fidgety. Kept asking questions about you actually, Emma." She nodded in the blonde's direction and looked puzzled.

"I'm not surprised," Emma muttered. The two pairs of eyes widened at her statement and the blonde took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I haven't been very honest with the two of you and I should have been and I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" Esmeralda asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What has this got to do with Meg?"

Emma took a sip of her tea before placing it down on the table and took another deep breath. "Meg is threatening the Queen and I because she knows the truth."

"The truth?" Laverne repeated. "The truth about what?"

"The Queen is pregnant," Emma revealed. "She's pregnant with my child." Both Esmeralda and Laverne's jaws dropped but said nothing for which Emma was grateful. She then started telling them the truth, the only thing she left out was about being from the future, she just left her origin as another Realm, which was half true.

She informed them of how she got her magic back as well as slightly tweaking the story of falling in love with the Queen, stating that she fell in love with her when she first met her here, not years in the future. She then went on to tell them about finding out about the pregnancy and the Queen swearing the child was Emma's. Esmeralda looked like she was going to make a comment regarding that, but something in Emma's eyes prevented her. Just from the look, she could tell that Emma was telling the truth.

The end of her story was about Meg and her husband. As soon as she finished telling them about the blackmail, Laverne looked livid. Emma ducked as the cook opened her mouth, convinced she was going to tell Emma to leave and never come back.

"That sneaky, slimy bitch!" Laverne snapped. "I told you from the beginning that I didn't like her, didn't I, Esmeralda?"

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. If the cook was talking about Emma, she surely wouldn't have said her, right? She'd have looked at Emma and said you.

"Completely, there was always something distrustful about her," Esmeralda agreed. "I just cannot believe she's married to _Frollo_. I hated him!"

Finally, it made sense to Emma. They were talking about Megara not her.

"Do you hate me?" Emma asked quietly, timidly, not making eye contact with either of them.

She heard a sigh, not sure which it came from.

"I mean, I'm a bit pissed that you lied to us," Esmeralda said honestly, "but I'm more concerned that that bitch is trying to threaten you. You know I don't particularly like the Queen, but you're my friend and you love her, so she has my respect."

Emma looked up and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry that I lied. We just thought that story would have gone down better with everyone. Like, I'm still convinced people are not going to be happy that the Queen is with a woman and that she got her pregnant."

"I've never heard of it happening before," Laverne said. "But I have heard that True Love is the most powerful magic in the world, so really, I'm not surprised that it's happened. How do you feel about it all?"

"Happy, excited, terrified," Emma laughed nervously.

"As every expecting parent should be," Laverne chuckled. "You're going to be fine."

"How did the Queen react?" Esmeralda asked.

Emma's laughter stopped at the question, emphasising the severity of her answer. "She was terrified, I mean I was at first, but now we're getting there and she starting to get excited, I think. I just don't want this to affect the pregnancy. She's barely eight weeks. It's far too soon to be announcing anything, but we don't have a choice."

Laverne smiled sadly and rested her hand gently on Emma's shoulder. "She's a tough cookie that Queen. She's faced worse." She looked at Emma knowingly, and Emma knew that she was meaning the miscarriage. The blonde bit her lip nervously and nodded before glancing at Esmeralda who just looked a little confused.

"So, what's the plan for Meg?" Laverne asked, ensuring Esmeralda wouldn't start asking questions about the passing comment.

"Well, you'll be getting a new maid to say the least," Emma replied slowly, the implications of her words hanging heavy in the room.


	20. Chapter 20

By the time Emma returned to the Queen's chambers, she was feeling lighter. Laverne and Esmeralda weren't thrilled that she'd lied to them, which she wasn't surprised about, but they also didn't hate her, which made her happy. She'd started walking through the corridors, but as the advisors had ordered extra protection over the Queen and Emma, the blonde found herself flanked by two guards as soon as she left Henry's chambers.

"Can I help you?" She asked after turning to face them. They were both masked, putting Emma slightly on edge. She didn't understand why they kept their face covered when they were in the castle, but she didn't particularly like it, especially after what happened with Frollo.

"We're under strict orders to escort you back to her Majesty's chambers," the left soldier replied as he reached out to take Emma's arm.

"Umm, I can get there alone, thanks," she said, snatching her arm out of the soldier's reach. "Under whose command are you acting?"

"Captain Khan's, Lady Emma," the right soldier replied. "The Queen instructed him that you must be safe, meaning we must escort you back to the castle."

Emma still didn't feel calm at the revelation. She knew the new captain was slightly better than Frollo, but she still didn't trust him.

"I can get there by myself, thank you," she said simply. "I don't need escorting." She took a step back and cleared her head, thinking only of Regina and their bedroom.

"But Lady Emma–"

Whatever the soldier was about to say was cut off as she flicked her wrist and the growingly familiar swirl of white smoke surrounded her. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with her bedroom with Regina resting back on the bed, her eyes closed. Her chest was rising and falling evenly, indicating that she'd fallen asleep.

Emma crossed the room and perched beside her Queen, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. At the sensation, the chocolate brown eyes fluttered opened.

"You're back," Regina muttered sleepily.

"I am," Emma affirmed before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to Regina's lips. "Had a nice nap?"

The Queen blushed as she sat up slowly. She stretched before moving over to allow Emma to sit on the bed more. She automatically reaching for the blonde's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"I just wanted to lay down for a few minutes, I didn't mean to fall asleep," Regina replied.

"I didn't mean to be so long," Emma said before she leant forward and kissed the Queen again, unable to resist her sultry red lips for long. "How did you get on?"

"The letters have just left," Regina revealed. "My best riders have taken them so that they'll be delivered as soon as possible. I think I must have written at least six drafts. I just couldn't get the wording right, but it's done, and I can forget about them for now. My advisors have written tomorrow's speech and have created the posters that will be plastered around every village in the Kingdom as soon as the clocks strike midnight. The Captain is currently on his way to fetch Claude and his wife. They are being told that they are the coming for a meeting with me to discuss everything but due to my busy schedule, I can only see them early in the morning so they must arrive tonight so they are there in the morning." She sighed. "I don't know if they'll buy it," she shrugged, "but quite frankly, I don't care."

Emma paused Regina's tale by kissing her softly in an attempt to keep her calm. "It's all going to be okay," Emma assured her and kissed her again. "We'll make it through this."

Regina smiled softly. "As long as I have you by my side, I could face anything," she said honestly.

"Ditto," Emma replied before nuzzling her nose against the Queen's in an Eskimo kiss, making her laugh, almost giggle. "Now that's a sound I love to hear." She kissed her sweetly.

Regina pulled back, smiling before tensing slightly as she asked her next question. "How did things to with the help downstairs?"

Emma couldn't prevent herself from rolling her eyes. "You've got to stop calling them that," she chastised fondly. "I was the so called help a few weeks ago," she reminded her and this time it was Regina's turn to roll her eyes, but she didn't say anything. "They weren't happy I lied to them, but they're angrier about what Megara is threatening. Apparently, Laverne didn't like Meg from the start." She shrugged. "They care about me and know that you make me happy, so they'll support us."

At the revelation, the Queen relaxed. "Good, I'm glad." She pecked Emma on the nose and Emma was about to return the favour when her stomach started to rumble, making the Queen laugh. She hadn't realised how late it had gotten. "Let's go feed you."

"Thanks." Emma blushed in embarrassment, though it was not the first time her rumbling stomach had interrupted them, either from a cute moment like before or something a lot more passionate.

The two walked hand in hand to the dinning room to see Lumiere laying the finishing touches to the table.

"Good evening, your Majesty, Lady Emma," he bowed lowly, "you are perfectly on time."

He pulled their chairs out and pushed them in once they were seated. As nice as it was, Emma could admit she was looking forward to having less fancy meals with just her and Regina in the future, and Henry, of course. An evening where Regina would greet her at the door of the mansion after finishing her signature lasagne. Henry would join them from finishing some work upstairs and the two would sit at the table with Regina, gushing about how amazing the food was. Regina would smile and shrug it off as if it was no deal, but she would blush a little at the compliments.

In a flash, Emma realised that had happened before. Regina had invited her to dinner after Henry had got his memories back and Regina had made lasagne in honour of him and the three had had a family meal and it just felt, well, right. Emma remembered the flush of pink on Regina's cheeks as both Emma and Henry had said it was the best lasagne they'd ever eaten. After Henry had gone to upstairs to do some more homework, Emma had helped Regina with the dishes, feeling a strange comfort with the other woman. If Emma had truly thought about it, she would have realised she was in love with her then.

Although that meal hadn't been long before Emma had fallen through the portal, it had been the last one. After that, Regina had been too busy with battling Zelena and falling in love with Robin and Emma had been pushed aside. Without realising it, Emma sighed and frowned.

"Em? What's wrong?" Regina asked softly.

The blonde looked up and realised that the servers had been in, placing a goblet of water in front of each of them as well as two large plates of chicken risotto, one of Emma's favourites, and she hadn't noticed at all.

"What?" Emma shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Nothing, I was just thinking."

Mistaking what the blonde was thinking about, Regina put down her fork and reach out to squeeze Emma's hand. "It'll be all over by this time tomorrow," she said softly. "Don't you worry."

Emma nodded and smiled distractedly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. As to not bring attention to it, she dug into her meal.

As they were eating dessert, another apple turnover, Captain Khan entered the room, announcing that Frollo and his family were in a guest chamber at the far end of the castle. They fully believed Regina's tale that they were there for an early morning meeting.

Regina's plan was to announce the pregnancy to the people at 8 o'clock sharp the next morning, ensuring that her two guests would be close enough to hear it but would be restrained by a spell on their chamber door so that they couldn't interrupt the announcement. They would be given breakfast beforehand with the banishment potion in their tea. Once drunk, they would not be allowed back into Regina's Kingdom once they had crossed the border. Regina had already warned the neighbouring Kingdom of her plans. They would not be able to refuse her. Despite their position of King, Regina was the High Queen of the Realm and whatever she said, went.

After the announcement, the Queen would then make her way to their room, with Emma alongside her, to deliver the news that Meg would not be taught magic and that she, her husband and child were to be banished from the Kingdom, never to return due to treason. She knew they wouldn't be happy, but it was that or death. She knew they wouldn't pick the other option, at least she hoped not for their son's sake. Quasi was the only reason she had spared them. Every child deserved their parents, she was not going to deny an innocent of that.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma and Regina woke early and prepared for the announcement. Emma wouldn't be speaking, but she would be standing beside the Queen so that the people knew who she was. She wasn't looking forward to it, but Regina wouldn't let her say no. Deep down, she wanted to be there for Regina, to be a united front.

The two dressed in the most formal dresses Emma had ever seen. They were both a deep burgundy, she couldn't think of a more regal colour. Regina's was long sleeved and low cut. It had golden details woven into the fabric and diamonds dotted around the bodice. It reached to the floor, covering the towering heels she wore that always made Emma nervous.

Emma's dress had a sweetheart neckline and short sleeves and synched her in at the waist which was emphasised by the golden band that circled it. It was also floor length despite the flats that she wore, uncomfortable with wearing heels on the slippery stone floors. She didn't particularly like it; she felt restricted in her movements, but when Regina told her she looked beautiful, she believed her.

"Are you ready for this?" Regina asked as the stood behind the balcony where they would make the announcement. They could already hear the people waiting outside which surprised Emma. She thought everyone hated the Queen during her reign, not that she voiced it, but Regina seemed to read her mind. "They're too curious for their own good," she murmured as she saw where Emma was looking to the loud crowd. "Most hate me, but they want to know what the announcement is." She shook her head and sighed before looking back at Emma. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," the blonde responded and held out her had for the Queen to take.

Regina looked over her shoulder at the stewards on the door and nodded.

It was time.

The stewards opened the door and Emma and Regina walked out, flanked by guards, and were met with a roar from the crowd. Regina waited it out for a few moments, getting her fill of applause, before looking to Captain Khan.

"Silence!" He roared. "Listen to your Queen!"

Immediately, the crowd went so silent you could hear a pin drop. Even the children didn't mutter a sound. Regina nodded at her Captain in thanks before stepping forward.

"My dear citizens," she announced. Emma was impressed that the Queen had memorised the speech and wouldn't be bringing it with her. She'd spent the evening before reciting it to the blonde to get it into her head. "I thank every one of you for coming to hear my announcement." She cleared her throat. "It is with much sorrow but also great joy that I announce this. You see, my old captain and his wife tried to use this very happy information to get me to do what they wanted, however, that will never be the case. I run this Kingdom how I wish." The threat was very clear in her voice, a warning should anyone try and mess with her again. "However, let us move onto the happy new." She took a deep breath and pulled Emma forward. "My people, it is with great happiness that I introduce you to your new princess. Princess Emma and I married a couple of months ago," her voice didn't break over the word this time, "and we are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first baby together."

Once that was revealed, the whispers broke out. People turned to their neighbour, discussing the turn of events. Emma was surprised that they hadn't made a comment about the marriage. The people seemed to accept that. It was just when the baby was mentioned.

"The power of True Love is truly magical," Regina continued as if she hadn't heard any of the whispers, allowing them to hear how the baby had been conceived. She did not mention how early the announcement was, they had thought it best not to. "We thank you all for your time. Good morning."

Regina dipped her head to the crowd before pulling on Emma's hand, bringing her back inside.

"That's it?" Emma asked. "That's a lot shorter than I thought."

Regina shrugged. "It's all they need to know for now," she replied. "It will be to a royal court when we announce the baby after they're born and then it will be on the posters once more, whether we've blessed the Kingdom with a princess or a prince. Anyway, let's go deal with the cretins."

Emma didn't reply but just followed the Queen down the hallway. They were flanked by the guards once more, Khan not wanting to leave the Queen's side until all of this mess was over. Emma still didn't like him, but she liked the fact that he was so protective of the Queen.

They could hear loud noises as they made their way to the chamber where Frollo and his family were waiting. There was shouting, screaming and a child crying. Emma and Regina glanced at each other before rushing forward. The guards opened the door the Queen and Emma and they entered the room with Khan and the selected men following.

"How dare you!" Frollo cried as soon as he saw them. "You brought us here to see that? You were never going to teach Meg magic, were you?"

"No," Regina said firmly. "I do not trust her with that power."

Despite all that was going on, Emma didn't have eyes for anyone but Quasi from the moment she entered the room. She didn't know what to expect but looking at him now, she could understand where Meg and Frollo were coming from, but only a little! He shaggy chestnut brown hair was a little unkempt, a long fringe that covered half of his face, but when he shifted his head to the side, she saw it. His right eye was bigger than his right and stuck out of his head slightly. His eyes were red from crying and he looked terrified, but also intrigued at the Princess before him.

At first, Emma thought he was slightly hunched over in fear, but she soon realised it was just his back that was hunched. However, despite all of that, she didn't see anything wrong with him. He was just a scared little boy who didn't understand what was going on.

"But look at him!" Frollo cried, pointing at his son and Quasi started to shake in fear.

Emma rushed over to him and crouched in front of him. "He's just a child!" She snapped. "Leave him alone!"

Quasi then burst into tears once more and Meg rushed over to him. She pushed Emma out of the way and picked him up as he tucked his head into her shoulder.

"I know it's not his fault that he looks like this," Meg sighed, running her fingers softly through her son's hair, "but there is nothing else we can do. We've tried healers, we've tried doctors. We even tried Rumplestiltskin, but he refused to help."

Now that piqued Regina's interest. "The imp didn't help?" She repeated. "He never refuses a deal."

"He said he wouldn't use magic on our son," Meg muttered quietly. "But he said magic could help. There were spells that would make him look normal. He said if I learnt magic, I could do the spells, but he wouldn't teach me." Her eyes darkened a fraction. "So, we thought, how could we get revenge on you for what you did to Claude and get what we want? It was simple and now you've ruined it!"

Regina stepped forward and helped Emma off the ground from where she'd been pushed. She took her hand so they would appear as a united front. Emma squeezed in support.

"Listen now and listen carefully," Regina began, her voice low but clear, "Even if I wanted to help, I cannot. I cannot teach someone magic where they have none. Magic was in my blood when I was born, Rumplestiltskin didn't have to do much to unlock it. Emma was born with hers. It's not possible to teach Megara magic." She cleared her throat. "Now, you have two choices. You walk out of the castle and go on your way to another Kingdom with your family and never return, or, my guards will lead you and your family away to never return. Which would you prefer?"

"You think you're so high and mighty, don't you, your Majesty?" Frollo sneered, taking a step towards them, Emma automatically took one back.

"I am the Queen," Regina sassed. "You will do as I say."

"And if we don't?" Meg threatened. She shifted Quasi behind her so that he was clinging to her back.

Regina went to move forward but Emma beat her to it. She raised her free hand and a fireball illuminated her palm. "Threaten her again, and I will let go."

"Emma!" The Queen gasped. "Be careful of Quasi."

"I won't hurt him," Emma promised quietly before turning to the traitors. Her voice was low, thick of venom. "You need to leave, right now, and never come back."

"Oh yeah, you and whose army?" Frollo snapped and just as he said it, Khan clicked his fingers and his men acted. Khan and his deputy rushed forward and grabbed hold of Frollo while others took Meg and made sure to be careful of Quasi as per instruction.

"My army," Regina said calmly before turning to Khan. "As discussed."

"Yes, your Majesty," he nodded. "Come men!"

There was a flurry of struggle as Frollo tried to get Khan and the others off him, but it was to no avail. The soldiers pulled them until they were outside the castle before piling the family into a carriage. Once they were in, the horseman set off and delivered them to the next Kingdom and they were pushed out, never to enter again.

Back in the castle, Emma turned to the Queen.

"Is it over?" She asked.

Regina nodded. "It's over." She then pulled Emma close to her and kissed her softly.

Emma smiled into the kiss before pulling back. "What was that for?"

"For defending me." Regina kissed her again and again, enjoying the feel of the blonde's lips against hers. "I've never had that before."

"I'll always defend you," Emma promised before kissing her again. "I love you."

Regina rested her head on the Emma's shoulder as Emma's arms automatically wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I love you too," the Queen mumbled into her skin before pressing a soft kiss against her neck.

"I think it's time for a lay down," Emma muttered quietly. "Don't you?"

"Most definitely," Regina agreed.

It was barely nine o'clock and it felt like an entire day had passed. But now the bad guy had been banished to never return. Everyone could calm down now and relax, right?

 _A/N: just a quick comment to the guest who's mentioned in a review about the story messing up the timeline with Regina and casting the curse, don't worry, all will be revealed later in the story! To everyone else, thank you so much for the favourites/follows and reviews, they make me so happy! Thank you and I love you! Love, Emss x_


	21. Chapter 21

A few months passed and Regina's pregnancy blossomed. She was halfway through and she was both ecstatic and terrified. Happy because she was further in the pregnancy than she was before but also scared because it was still far from over. Things could still go horribly wrong.

Emma had been tasked with being in charge of nursery preparations. She was a little unsure why she had to be the one to take control, but she did it anyway. She had guards building the crib and painting the walls. They had decided to use gender neutral colours as they didn't know what gender the baby was going to be. The colours selected were pastel green and yellow with a floral design, painted by the royal artist advisor who was brought in especially. Regina had always been fond of his work and had no other person in mind.

The furniture was all coordinated with a light wooden crib and matching draws. In fact, the room didn't look like it belonged in the Queen's castle at all, it was so light and bright but then again, that's how the baby made her feel and it was reflected in the room.

When the doctor came when Regina hit 18 weeks, Emma was practically bouncing with excitement. She was the most excited during her pregnancy at this stage because she could find out the gender of the baby. She knew she was never going to keep her baby but finding out he was a boy made her happy in some way. She didn't know why, but knowing the baby growing inside her was a little boy made her content.

Regina was lying in bed, as usual, as the doctor started his tests. Emma was stood beside the Queen, holding her hand which had also become the usual stance.

"She's around 18 weeks now, yeah?" Emma asked, wanting confirmation for her thoughts.

"18 weeks and 3 days to be exact," the doctor agreed as he got on with his task. He was now perfectly aware that Emma was the father, well other mother, of the baby due to the announcement. He hadn't said much on it, simply congratulating the two of them when he'd come for the 12-week appointment.

"So, we can find out the gender now?" Emma asked giddily, looking between the doctor and the Queen. Her excitement started to fade as she took in their confused looks.

"And how would we go about doing that?" The doctor enquired in return. "We have no way of seeing the baby and any charm is just an old wife's tale." He scoffed at the idea. "I'm afraid, the only way to know what gender the baby is, is to wait until they arrive in around 20 weeks."

Emma looked puzzled but nodded. She didn't say anything further during the appointment, which was naturally noticed by the Queen.

Before long, the doctor gathered his belongings and confirmed once more that the baby was perfectly healthy before making his leave. Emma perched on the bed beside her love and started trailing her finger tips gently over Regina's bump. She'd started showing around 5 weeks ago and she was growing bigger every day. Emma thought it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

"Why did you ask about the gender?" Regina asked quietly as she watched the blonde thinking. She couldn't help but smile at the feeling on her tummy. The baby seemed to enjoy whenever Emma trailed her fingers on her belly. "Do you have a preference?"

The blonde looked up and smiled reassuringly before shaking her head. "No, of course not. I'll love them either way," she said quickly. "It's just, in the future, we have the technology to be able to see the baby and once you hit 16 weeks, you can see what gender the baby is," she explained. "I forgot that you don't have that technology here. I got a bit ahead of myself."

Regina nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what the blonde was saying. "But you still think it's going to be a girl?"

Emma winked. "You bet!"

The Queen giggled, a sound Emma loved hearing, especially when she brought it out of her. "I suppose it's about time we started thinking of names?" She suggested and Emma's eyes lit up once more in excitement.

"Definitely!" She hopped off the bed to fetch some parchment and some ink so that she could note down whatever they suggested that both of them liked.

She returned to the bed and left the now open ink post on the bed side table. She laid down so that she was facing the Queen who hadn't shifted from being propped up in bed. She folded the parchment in half so that they could have two separate lists for boys and girls names.

"What do you have in mind?" Emma asked.

She was a little nervous, she'd never had to think of names for Henry as she knew she was going to be giving him up since the moment she found out she was pregnant. After she'd given him away, she thought what he might be called and let herself think what she might have named him, but when she found out that he'd been named Henry, she couldn't think of a better name for him. And after having met his namesake, she couldn't be happier with his name.

"I name Henry, don't I?" Regina wondered aloud, something Emma didn't think she was going to say. The blonde nodded. "Then perhaps, you should name this one?" She rested her hand on her belly though it was impossible not to know who Regina was referring to.

Emma gulped before smirking teasingly. "If that's the case, I'm going to name her Princess Periwinkle Rainbow Cake," she suggested, before laughing at herself. The next thing she knew was a pillow hitting her in the face which only made her laugh louder.

"Well if that's your suggestion, I'm going to change my mind," Regina backtracked but she was also laughing. "I do want a regal name though, something that has a powerful meaning."

Emma raised her eyebrows, as if she knew the meaning of names; she just went for one that sounded pretty. "Umm…" She tried to think of regal names and could only come up with the Queen of England. "Elizabeth?"

Regina tilted her head, considering the name. "Elizabeth," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. She pressed her hand against her stomach. "What do you think of Elizabeth?" She asked her belly as if the baby would answer. "Kick once for no and twice for yes." She paused and looked up to see Emma was trying to not to laugh. "What?"

The blonde let out a laugh. "I don't think that's quite how it works, honey."

"It was worth a try," Regina shrugged. "I don't hate it, put it on the list." Emma did so. "Now, a boys name. Philip?"

"Definitely not," Emma said. "Whether said Philip or Phillipe, no way."

"Why not?" The Queen asked, positively offended that Emma had reacted to negatively to her suggestion. "It means lover of horses. I love horses and I'm sure our child will too."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "And if it's a girl?"

"Philippa, easy." The Queen smirked and raised her eyebrow in return, waiting for Emma to argue her point.

She didn't, instead she simply laughed. "Very true, but I still don't like it," she admitted. "Matilda?"

Regina shook her head. "No, it sounds, I don't know, too mischievous somehow."

Emma rolled her eyes at the excuse but couldn't help but agree. The Matilda in Roald Dahl's story was definitely mischievous.

"Fine." She paused for a second, trying to come up with another name. "Olivia?"

"No, Alicia?"

"Nah, Christian?"

"I don't like it, Peter?"

Emma's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Definitely not!" She shuddered remembering the time in Neverland.

"What's wrong with Peter?" Regina asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "It means stone, clearly a strong name."

Emma glowered. "You'll find out in the future," she said simply, not wanting to reveal too much. She picked up her goblet of water to take a sip to avoid talking about it more.

The Queen paused for a few moments, taking in Emma's mood change before suggesting something different. "Archibald?"

At the sound of the name, Emma burst out laughing, spraying water everywhere. The mood was lifted in seconds. "Are you kidding me?"

"What? It means truly brave? There's nothing wrong with it!" Regina was starting to get a little offended now. Emma had rebuffed every name she'd suggested so far.

"It's a name for an old man," Emma argued as she sobered from her laughter. She took another quick sip of her water and put the goblet back down. She sighed. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "You think?"

Instead of replying, Emma simply put the parchment and quill on the bedside table and shifted down the bed, taking one of Regina's feet into her hands and massaging them. She knew it would make up for annoying her with their name suggestions. The Queen sighed at the feeling and relaxed, forgiving the blonde in seconds.

oOoOo

The two settled that night in bed as usual. Regina leaned on her left side and Emma spooned her from behind. It was vital that Regina got used to sleeping on her side and not on her back which could cause damage as the pregnancy continued. Besides, she could sleep anywhere, in any position, as long as Emma's arms were wrapped around her.

The only disturbances throughout the night were when Regina got up to go to the bathroom. The frequency of these depended where the baby was sitting. She rarely ever woke Emma up with her movements as the blonde slept like the dead, which was why she was confused when Regina was shaking her awake in the middle of the night.

"Emma, wake up, please!" The Queen cried desperately, shaking the blonde beside her.

"Ginny?" Emma muttered sleepily. "What's going on?"

"I'm bleeding," Regina replied, tears thick in her voice.

Hearing that, Emma's eyes snapped open in panic and she sprung into action. She pulled Regina to her. The Queen was crying, her body shaking in fear. "Lie on the bed, honey," Emma instructed calmly, trying not to panic her love. "Where are you bleeding? How much?"

"Down there," Regina revealed pointing to her private area. "I think something is wrong with the baby." Emma nodded and bit her lip nervously, she had thought the same thing. "I knew something was going to go wrong!" The Queen practically screamed suddenly, and her tears started to flow once again, even more rapidly than before. "It's all my fault. I can't do this!"

Panicking, and downright terrified, Emma shot out of the bed, slipping her night gown on quickly, and rushed to the door of their bedroom where two guards were stationed at all times.

"I need the doctor," Emma instructed urgently as soon as the door was open. "I need him now."

"Yes, Princess," the guards nodded and one ran off immediately to contact the doctor.

That was another thing; everyone had started referring to the blonde as Princess despite her many attempts to get to them to stop, but right now was not the moment to argue her point. She turned away from the door and rushed back to the Queen.

Regina was completely distressed. She her eyes were scrunched shut and she started to hit her head against the bedframe behind her, muttering to herself. "It's my fault. I knew it! I'm not fit to be a mother."

Emma reached out and took Regina's hands in hers, pulling her forward, preventing herself from hitting her head any more.

"Ginny, please calm down," Emma begged. "Being this stressed will definitely not help the baby. The doctor is coming. He'll be here as soon as he can." She lifted Regina's hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles. She didn't want to ask Regina why she thought what was going on was her fault. All she concentrated on was reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, though the Queen wasn't listening to her.

The wait for the doctor seemed endless, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. By the time the guards rushed the doctor through the door, Emma was convinced at least two hours had passed when it had only been twenty minutes!

"What's the issue?" The doctor asked after bowing to the Queen and Emma.

"She said she's bleeding," Emma answered for the Queen who was still crying silently on the bed, her eyes shut tight as if trying to imagine nothing was going wrong.

The doctor nodded before walking up to the Queen. "Your Majesty, may I examine you?" He asked gently.

Slowly, the Queen nodded but still didn't open her eyes and the doctor got to work. Emma stood by Regina's head and held her hand though she was pretty sure Regina didn't really know Emma was there.

The doctor worked in silence as he ran his checks. Again, the time seemed to drag before he stepped back, his face neutral, and cleaned himself up.

"Your Majesty," he said softly and finally the Queen opened her eyes to look at the doctor. "Everything is okay with the baby. A little spotting can be normal, but I want you to spend tomorrow in bed to rest. Only get up for the bathroom. After that, everything should be okay. If you think there's anything else wrong, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Regina took in a shaky breath. "Everything is alright?" She asked quietly, Emma could see the flicker of hope in her eyes that was matched by doubt.

The doctor nodded and took Regina's free hand that wasn't being held by Emma. He glanced at the blonde for a second before looking back at the Queen. "This isn't like before, your Majesty," he said quietly, but Emma could still hear him. "It's not the same. You can do this."

"I'm trying," Regina whispered.

"Get some rest, your Majesty," the doctor instructed. "That's an order." He smiled at his joke and Emma smiled nervously too. "I'll be back in a few weeks for your next appointment."

"Thank you," Emma said. "I'll make sure she rests."

The doctor nodded and then bid his goodbye, leaving the two behind. The guards followed him out and shut the door behind them.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Regina blew out the candle that had been lit beside her and rolled over. At a loss as to what to do, Emma simple shrugged off her gown and slipped into bed beside the Queen. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm around her, but Regina shuffled forward a fraction, letting the arm drop between them. Frowning, Emma tried again, shuffling closer and wrapping her arm around her, but, once more, Regina shuffled forward.

"Regina?" Emma said softly. "What's going on?" The Queen remained silent, all that could be heard were sniffles as she tried to stop crying. "Ginny?" Emma tried again, reaching her arm out just for the Queen to shrug it off. Dejected, Emma rolled over, her back facing the Queen. A tear rolled down her face as she heard the Queen's breathing even out. However, she struggled to find sleep that night.

oOoOo

As per the doctor's instruction, Regina stayed in bed the next day, but Emma spent the day in the library. She had barely gotten a good morning out of the Queen and every time she tried a conversation, and god forbid the time that she tried to give the Queen a quick kiss, Regina just rebuffed her and ignored her. When Emma got close, Regina turned and started walking away. Helpless, Emma just did what she did best, she suffered alone. She turned her back and headed to the library.

It was mid-afternoon when she finally got some company, but it wasn't who she wanted. She'd been sitting by the fireplace, as winter was really setting in, with a blanket over her lap, hot chocolate in her mug and a book in her lap. This time she was reading about the adventures of a prince who had to fight a dragon. It sounded a lot like the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty but with different character names. She'd gotten half way through when a cough was heard before her.

Looking up, she saw the owner of the cough. "Henry? What's going on?" She asked before suddenly panicking. "Is it Regina? Is it the baby?" She folded the page in her book and was half out of her chair when Henry replied.

"No, no! Regina's fine and so is the baby. May I?" He pointed to the armchair beside Emma.

She nodded and settled herself back down in her chair before pulling her legs up underneath her, a nervous habit she had. She didn't speak, simply waited for Henry to begin.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He commented, nodding to the large window beside them.

Emma's brow furrowed at the casual conversation starter, but she had to agree. The sky was a pale blue that was threatening to snow, and the grounds were covered in a light layer of frost. The evergreen trees stood out with their bright leaves amongst the slightly bare ones that were housing robins. It did look beautiful, so Emma said as much. "Yeah, I guess."

"I went for a walk around the grounds this morning," Henry said. "I was ordered out of the libraries so that the new maid could clean," he chuckled.

Megara's replacement had started a couple of weeks ago and Henry adored her. She was a local girl, unmarried, rather young, but she showed promise. Her name was Lina. She was a little small for her age and Henry had fondly taken to calling her Thumbelina.

Emma didn't reply, she didn't know what to say. She was waiting for Henry to turn the conversation to the Queen. She didn't have to wait long.

The old man turned from gazing out the window and looked at Emma. "I've just been up to see Regina," he began. "She told me about what happened last night." He paused, trying to calculate how to say the next line. "I was surprised to see you not up there with her after a fright like that?"

Emma shifted nervously in her chair. "She ignored every attempt I've made to help or calm her down or even speak to her," Emma admitted. "I tried to hold her before we went to sleep and she rolled away every time. I wished her good morning and she barely said morning back. I tried to give her a kiss on the cheek as she walked past but she just walked away. I thought it would be best to get out her hair. She's clearly angry and I don't want to make it worse." She frowned, and her eyes started to water. "I don't know what to do, Henry." She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling but was unsuccessful when two escaped. She reached up and wiped them away quickly. "I've never been so scared in my life as I was last night. She started chanting "it's all my fault", "I knew something was going to go wrong," over and over. It was terrifying."

At that, Henry frowned. "I think I know why that is." He sighed sadly. "But it's not my place to tell you. It has to come from Regina."

"I know about the miscarriage," Emma said quickly, hoping it would lead Henry to reveal what happened.

"It's still not my place, Emma."

"I just don't know what to do to help," she said sadly, not even bothering to stem her tears now. "I've tried what I thought would work but was just rebuffed. I don't think she understands that I'd be just as devastated if she lost the baby. I mean, it's my child too."

"Go tell her that," Henry said. "Show her that you're in it together." He sighed dejectedly. "She's always thought she was alone no matter how many times I've tried to tell her otherwise. She's not had the greatest life until she met you." He paused for a minute to try and word his next sentence without giving too much away. "She had to suffer alone last time, don't make her do that again."

"I don't know what to do or what to say," she admitted.

"Just be you," Henry suggested. "Now, go."

The blonde nodded slowly before standing up. She placed her book on the table beside her and started walking away, leaving Henry alone. The old man smiled, content that his task was done. He knew the only thing that would help his daughter was to have her love with her and to talk everything through. He just hoped Regina would open up.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: I'm just going to add a quick trigger warning for miscarriage for this chapter in case anyone wishes to skim this. But don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems!_

Emma hesitated before she entered their bedroom. She was nervous, ridiculously so, but she knew she'd have to get it over with at some point. Slowly, she entered the room and saw one of the maids bringing in a tray of tea for the Queen who was still lying in bed. She turned and saw Emma approaching.

"Would you care for some tea too, your Highness?" The girl asked politely after curtseying to the blonde.

"No thanks, Janey, but thank you," Emma replied. Janey nodded and dipped her head in respect before turning and leaving the room.

Regina was sat up in bed with the tray over her lap. She busied herself making a cup of tea, avoiding making eye contact with the blonde.

Emma sighed and made her way to the other side of the bed. She perched on the edge, keeping her distance from the Queen.

"I don't know how to help you through this," she said softly, "but please know that I'm here for you, Regina. I want to help. You're not alone. You don't have to tell me anything, but I am here, and I love you."

She sat with bated breath, hoping the Queen would respond to what she said. She waited a few agonising minutes, wishing Regina would just say something to let her know she'd heard her, but when it seemed she wasn't going to respond, Emma's shoulders sank and she started to tear up. Unable to bear the silence any longer, she started to move off the bed.

"It started with blood last time," Regina said finally. Emma froze in her movement before returning to where she was but kept her back to the Queen for now. She heard her take a deep breath. "There was just so much blood. I was screaming and crying. My maids came in and they called for the doctor, but by the time he arrived, it was too late. I'd already lost the baby."

Her voice broke as she said that, and Emma finally turned around. Regina was sobbing openly, her tray of tea already on the side table as she pulled her legs as close as she could get with her round belly. Emma rushed over and gently pulled her into her arms, rocking her softly and whispering in her ear to calm her down.

"They couldn't tell me what went wrong," the Queen continued, wanting to get it all out at once. "Apparently it could have been many things. All that mattered was that I'd lost my son and I'd lost the King of his heir. He was beside himself with grief over the baby, not with me. After that, he cast me aside. I failed him, and he didn't deem me worthy anymore." She laughed humourlessly. "I was glad of that. He was rough and selfish. I hated every time he came into my bed." She swallowed, and Emma tensed at hearing that. "There was part of me that hated that the baby was half him but then again," she smiled sadly, "he was half me too and I lost him." She blinked, tears dripped off her eyelashes, and looked up at the blonde. "I'm sorry I almost lost this one, that I almost failed you, and then pushed you away."

"Oh, my darling," Emma said softly, holding the Queen to her even more. "You didn't fail me at all and it's okay, you let me back in. My god, Regina, I'm so sorry you went through all of that." She took a deep breath before reaching out and wiping away Regina's stray tears and wiping her own away. "Even if you had lost the baby, which I am so happy that you didn't, you wouldn't have failed me. I love you and I'm so proud of you for telling me all of this. You are so strong. You said you'd lost him by this stage last time but you're almost half way through this pregnancy. You can do this, _we_ can do this."

"I'm sorry," Regina cried again. She finally gave in and curled into the blonde's side.

"Don't be," Emma repeated. "I've got you." She held onto the Queen as she cried. She cried too for the baby her love lost and the treatment she'd received afterwards. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again," she promised.

Regina didn't reply, just simply clung onto the blonde harder until she tired herself out and fell asleep in Emma's arms. After such an emotional couple of days, Emma shut her eyes and let herself drift off too.

oOoOo

After the miscarriage scare, Regina was overly cautious for the rest of her pregnancy. She cancelled all trips and if she had prearrangements to visit other Kingdoms and they were rescheduled to take place at her palace. This was why the Queen was currently stressing in her throne room with Emma standing in front of her trying to calm down.

As Regina was pulled away from her meetings with her uncle and they both had very busy schedules, they'd not managed to arrange to meet. Their advisors had finally managed to create enough time for King Xavier to come visit that day and Regina was not happy. Not in the slightest. It also didn't help that Henry had gone on a state visit purposefully so that he was away from the castle when his older brother came to visit which was also putting Regina on edge.

Emma was also not going to be there as she had already agreed to meet Hook. Although now everyone knew her as the Queen's wife, she couldn't be seen in the village without protection, therefore, Hook was meeting her in Henry's chambers as it would look odd for the pirate to be in the castle.

The Queen was currently pacing in front of her throne. She'd just met with some of her people who wanted to discuss events with the Queen. She'd said no to most as they would cost too much money, but some she agreed with, like the fayre they wanted to hold to celebrate the winter solstice.

"Why could we just not put this meeting off for ever?" Regina asked once again. She'd already asked this in the meeting with her senior advisors two weeks ago when they first mentioned that they had rescheduled the meet, then when she told Emma about it later that day, and pretty much every day since she'd been informed. She flopped onto her throne and rested her head in her hands, well, as much as she could with her 24-week pregnant belly in the way.

"Because that's how royal families work," Emma replied exasperatedly. She refrained from pinching the bridge of her nose in despair, but only just. "As you've told me many times."

"I just don't want to see him," Regina said, once again repeating herself. She looked up at Emma pouting adorably as if that would help her get her way. The pout made Emma smile unintentionally. She crossed the room and pecked the Queen softly, hoping it would get rid of her pout. It didn't, she simply frowned more and sighed.

Emma could totally understand where Regina was coming from. There were many people in her past that she hadn't wanted to see but had been forced to. Evil foster family members were the key ones that sprung to mind. She shivered as she thought back to that time before shaking her head to clear her thoughts and concentrate on the present.

"The advisors said he'd only be here for a few hours," Emma reminded her. "You'll discuss the weather and the economy. I'll be back before dinner. Besides, if it gets too much, you can just say the doctor advised you to rest because of the baby." She walked up to where Regina was sitting and sat on the step in front of her and placed her hand on her knee. "Which you know is true. All this worrying isn't good for her."

Regina half smiled and took a deep breath. "You're right," she muttered before deciding to change the topic. "Have you thought any more about names?" Since their first discussion, they hadn't really brought it up again, Regina having gotten too offended that Emma kept rejecting her ideas.

"I have a couple of ideas," Emma mused. "I have a girl's name and a boy's that I really like." She smiled, looking proud of herself. "I've even found out the meanings, just for you."

Regina laughed at her partner's silliness. "Let me hear them then."

"I like Louis for a boy, it means warrior," Emma said slowly, "And I really like Charlotte, it means free man. I mean, I like the name more than the meaning of Charlotte. It's also regal, well I think so because–"

Emma's rambling was cut off by the Queen pulling her up and kissing her softly. "I love it," she said as she pulled back. "Maybe not for her first name but definitely for a middle name."

"As a princess, does this mean she'll have like 10 names?" Emma asked thinking of the British Royal Family.

Regina raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. "10 names? I think that's a little excessive, don't you? I mean, do you have 10 names?"

Emma laughed. "No, I have two. Emma Swan."

If it was possible, Regina looked even more confused. "Swan? That's an interesting name."

"It's my surname," Emma explained. "That's what we have in my time. A first name and a surname and if you're lucky, a middle name. I'm just saying, the royal families I've heard of, don't have surnames, they just have a few first names."

Regina nodded, no longer looking quite as confused. "Yes, some royal families are like that here. My father was christened Henry Albus John, but I'm simply Regina. My mother didn't think I needed another name."

Emma rolled her eyes, because that sounded like Cora to a T. "That doesn't surprise me. We can give our child as many names as you would like."

The Queen laughed. "I think two is enough, don't you?"

"That sounds perfect, just like you." Emma leant in and kissed the Queen softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Just as Regina leant in to kiss the blonde again, there was a loud knock on the throne room door and Captain Khan entered.

"I'm sorry to intrude, your Majesty, but I have just received word that King Xavier's carriage is just pulling into the grounds," Khan announced. "He'll be here in ten minutes."

At the announcement, the Queen's face paled, she looked like she was going to be sick. She fell back in her throne. "I can't do this," she whispered almost silently.

Emma smiled reassuringly. "Yes, you can. I'll just be in Henry's chambers if you need me."

Regina frowned. "I wish you didn't have to leave."

"I'm sorry, but I already arranged it," Emma said sadly. "I'll be back for dinner." She leant forward and kissed the Queen one more time.

They kissed once more before Emma slipped out of the room and headed down to Henry's chambers.

When she arrived, she heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw Lina and Hook sitting at the table, Hook was wearing his "I'm so charming" smile and Lina was blushing. Emma rolled her eyes and coughed, announcing her entrance. She leaned against the door frame and folded her arms. Her eyebrow raised as she took in the couple.

"Your Highness," Lina practically squealed in surprised and jumped up. "Can I help you? Are you looking for Esmeralda?"

"No, Lina, I'm fine," Emma assured the maid quickly. "I'm actually here to see him." She motioned to Hook. "I'll take him to Henry's smallest library."

"Would you care for any tea?" Lina asked.

"No, that's okay, thank you." Emma then turned the pirate. "Come along, Captain."

The Captain stood dutifully and followed Emma to the aforementioned library. Though he did flash his debonair smile and a wink to the still blushing Lina. Emma simply rolled her eyes.

Emma made her way to her favourite library. It was where she had found Henry's Storybook all those months ago though she'd not laid eyes on it since. She waved her hand and lit the fire, allowing the dancing orange and yellow flames to warm up the room. She took the armchair to the right and pointed Hook to take the other one.

Once the two were seated, Emma waved her hand once more and produced two cups of tea.

"Perhaps you've already drank enough, but have some more," Emma joked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hook feigned, waving his hook in the air, smirking.

The blonde laughed. "And you said don't get too involved with someone in the past."

"Have you seen Lina in the future though?" Hook asked with a small sigh and Emma's laughter stopped almost immediately as she thought about it.

No one she'd met so far, aside from Regina, Rumple and her mother, had she seen in the future. Not even in the distance and that worried her to no end. If she had seen Lina in the future, she'd either not paid any attention to her or she'd change. Although the likelihood of it all was that the beautiful, quiet maid hadn't had the opportunity to be taken to the future.

She sighed. "That's true."

"So, tell me how life is going," Hook said quickly, trying to change the topic quickly and lighten up the mood of the room.

Taking the hint, Emma filled Hook in about everything that was going on. She'd already told him about Megara and Frollo when she'd seen him a couple of weeks ago. The captain had jumped off his seat and started yelling nonsense about going to find them. Emma had had to calm him down and tell him that they'd already sorted it. However, she was yet to tell him about finding the spell book and reveal what she had learnt about getting back and about the trigger. She knew he'd start asking her what it was even though she didn't have a clue yet. She doubted he'd accept that they just had to wait for whatever it was.

"It's great," Emma said honestly. "Regina's flourishing with her pregnancy. I mean, apart from the scare a couple of weeks ago, but now everything is fine."

"The scare?" Hook asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. Sure, he wasn't a fan that Emma had knocked up the Queen, but he could see how much she was worried about it all. He'd finally accepted that they would never be romantic and found that they got on very well now that he wasn't being a lecherous toad.

Emma frowned. "She started bleeding," she admitted quietly before telling Hook about Regina waking her up in the night and having to call the doctor. "But's she's okay now," she assured him. "The baby is healthy and the pregnancy is back to normal. She's loving it." Emma couldn't help the smile that graced her face as she spoke about her love and the baby before sighing. "It's just now there's something else not going the way I want but that's nothing new now."

"What's wrong?" Hook asked sensing the change of mood.

"She just keeps hinting about getting married," Emma revealed slowly. "We said we were married because apparently we can't have an unmarried, pregnant Queen but we're not. She just keeps hinting about me asking her, but I can't. It wouldn't be right."

"Why?" The captain took a sip of his tea and placed it down on the table before him and took one of Emma's hand in his. She didn't find it creepy anymore, she actually found it rather reassuring. The two were really becoming really good friends now.

Emma sighed again. "You're going to think I'm stupid, but it feels like I would be cheating on the future Regina. I mean, I know I was never with her and I'm with the past Regina now and I've accidentally impregnated her but marrying her seems like a step too far. I just don't know what to do."

Hook was quiet as he listened to the blonde. He stayed silent for a few minutes, simply sipping his tea before taking a deep breath. "You have to go with your gut, Swan. You'll know what to do when the time is right."

 _Useful,_ Emma thought, but she didn't say that, instead she sipped her tea.

oOoOo

After a couple of hours, Hook made his leave back to the Jolly Roger. He was still hiding in the cramped 'haunted' room, but it was alright for now. Emma hugged him tightly and he once again told her to follow her gut.

"You've got this, Swan," he promised her before leaving.

Once he was gone, Emma headed back up to the castle for the evening meal. She was joining Regina and her uncle and aunt. Nervous was an understatement, but she couldn't put it off any longer.

She headed up to their bedroom first so that she could get changed. She headed into their wardrobe to see what Regina had picked out for her while the Queen had been up earlier to change before the evening meal. As Emma walked in, she saw a light lavender dress hung in front of her shelf. It was long sleeved due to harsh cold the winter had brought and it fastened under the bust in a bow before flowing to the floor. It was a beautiful dress, but she was once again reminded that she missed her jeans and jumpers.

With a wave of her hand, she changed from her day dress into the one in front of her. She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat before the vanity. She knotted her hair in a somewhat elegant style before deeming herself decent. Once ready, she headed to the dining room.

The guards on duty opened the door for her and Emma was met with the usual sight of Regina sitting at the head of the table, but this time, instead of Henry sitting to her right, it was a man who looked remarkably similar. Understandingly as this was his brother. To the King's right, was a small woman, clearly the Queen.

"Emma, there you are," Regina commented as she saw the blonde entered.

"Hello everyone," Emma quickly said as she made her way over. Once she was at the table, she kissed Regina's cheek before sitting down.

"May I introduce my wife," Regina said, motioning to Emma, once more stuttering over the word. "This is Princess Emma. Emma, this is my uncle, Xavier, and his wife, Petronella."

"It's lovely to meet you," Emma said as she shook the Queen's hand.

"Likewise," Petronella replied with a smile.

Emma turned to the King to shake his hand, but he simply ignored her and turned back to Regina.

"What were you saying about the winter crop reduction?" He asked as if Emma hadn't been introduced to him.

While he was distracted, Emma took the time to look at the King. It was obvious that he and Regina were related. They had the same dark, almost black, hair and the same skin tone. Their eyes were also the same shade of brown, yet his weren't warm despite the warmth in colour. There were also many differences between Regina and her uncle. The King was naturally greying, not quite to the same extent as Henry, and he had a stockier build. He was much taller than Henry and had broader shoulders.

The Queen, on the other hand, was small and slim with pale skin and light blue kind eyes. She had aged gracefully with only a few streaks of silver running through her blonde hair. She seemed weary of her husband, not really partaking in the conversation. Emma had no hope to join in as she barely understood a word of it. Fortunately, Lumiere arrived and served their meals.

Before long, Emma and Regina were stood in the entrance hall of the castle, bidding Regina's family goodbye.

"I can't wait to meet the baby," Petronella said as she hugged her niece before hugging Emma. "Congratulations again." Regina couldn't help but smile. As much as she detested her uncle, she was fond of her auntie. "Xav and I will be sure to bestow the greatest of gifts."

"Thank you, aunt Nella," Regina said softly. "Have a safe trip home."

"Thank you," Petronella said before taking her husband's arm and leading them into the night. Xavier didn't look back.

Once the door shut behind them, Emma took a deep breath and turned to the Queen, taking her hand. She was just about to ask the Queen how everything had gone when a familiar giggle was heard behind them and her blood ran cold.

"Now lookie what we have here, dearies!"

Emma spun on her heel, dropping Regina's hand as she turned. There, stood behind them, looking like he'd been there for a very long time, was Rumplestiltskin.

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded as she walked towards him. "You don't belong here."

Rumple simply giggled once more. "I'm here to see the Queen, of course." He looked expectantly at Regina. "We have much to discuss." And with that, he waved his hand and he and the Queen were carried off in purple smoke leaving Emma to cry out for her love.

"Regina!"


	23. Chapter 23

Emma looked around the entrance hall, but she didn't need to, she knew Rumple had taken Regina somewhere. Though where exactly, she just didn't know.

She turned and saw the closest guard. "Search the castle, the Dark One has taken the Queen," she commanded. "You know the spell on the castle, the Queen can't be taken away, she has to be here somewhere."

"Yes, your Highness," the guard confirmed before rushing off to pass on the message.

Emma knew all she needed was a locator spell and then the Queen would be easily found. However, she didn't want to resort to that. The last time she checked, there were only two vials left and she didn't want Regina to realise she'd been in her crypt and had taken one, let alone two.

Instead of waiting for the guards to return, Emma started her own search. She headed towards their bedroom, unable to think of a better place to start, as it was at the top of the castle and she could work her way down if Regina wasn't there. As she made her way through the castle, she saw groups of guards running as they tried to find the Queen. Some passed comment to the blonde of where they'd searched but had currently come up empty.

As Emma got closer to their bedroom, her heart picked up in fear. What if Regina wasn't there? Quickly, she shook her head, not allowing herself to think such negative thoughts. She knew of the enchantment on the castle. Regina had told her about it one night that she had charmed the castle and grounds so that she could never be forcefully removed, whether by physical power or a spell. Emma just didn't know if the Dark One had a loophole around that.

Soon enough she made her way to their bedroom, she threw the doors open with her magic and crossed the threshold, but the room was empty. There was no sign of anyone having entered since Emma got changed earlier.

Panicked, she started pacing. Where could Regina be? The guards had already confirmed that she wasn't in any of the meeting rooms or in the dining room and Emma had checked their bedroom. She quickly decided that she would check Regina's laboratory and if she wasn't there then she would resort to getting a locator spell from the crypt and find the Queen that way.

That was when it hit her. The crypt. If there was anywhere that Rumple would take Regina to speak privately and hope no one would find her, it would be there.

Quickly, Emma waved her hand and disappeared in her signature white smoke. When it cleared, she was outside the crypt and immediately she heard voices coming from the other side making it clear that that she was right as she recognised the lilting tease of the Dark One's voice and the frustration of Regina's. The closer she got, the clearer the shouts became.

"Things have changed, Rumple!" Regina was yelling. "And don't think I've forgiven you for sending that redheaded fool here to try and learn magic from me and threatening to reveal the baby and my relationship."

The Dark One laughed and Emma could just imagine the smirk on his scaly face. She headed closer to the door, now sneaking up to it. She crouched down by the keyhole, trying to overhear but not reveal that she was there.

"You've gone soft, Regina," Rumple taunted. " _Love_ has made you weak."

"I am not weak," the Queen hissed. "I'm just channelling a different kind of magic."

"I care not. You promised me you would cast my curse," Rumple reminded her, making it clear that Regina couldn't go back on her word. "You do not have a time limit as such, but you promised me."

"Why do you need me to cast the curse in the first place?" Regina demanded. "Your magic is more powerful than mine, we both know that," she added begrudgingly. "You do it if you want it cast so badly!"

Emma's eyes narrowed, she knew exactly why Rumple wanted the curse cast and also why he didn't want to cast it himself. He didn't want to cast the curse, either because he didn't have anyone he loved most or he hadn't yet allowed himself to realised that he loved Belle and was still living in denial about all of that. There was also the fact that he was pure evil and wanted Regina to suffer for something her mother did to him years ago.

It was also obvious why he wanted the curse to be cast; he wanted to get back to Neal, just for his son to be taken away from him a second, more permanent, time. Though obviously the Dark One didn't know of that just yet. Emma's heart fluttered with sadness as she remembered her first love dying in her arms, but now was not the time to think about that.

"I have my reasons," Rumple said cryptically, but there was something new in his voice. He was no longer teasing and Emma wished she could see his face to see what he was thinking. She had always been able to read people's facial expressions better than figuring out something in their voice.

However, before she could think more on that, Regina cut her thoughts off. "I have other things to worry about right now. I have a baby on the way and I have my–"

"Don't say wife, Regina," the Dark One said, cutting her off. The typical lilting tease was back in his voice. The two were talking quieter now, Emma had to lean against the shut door to try and hear them. She just hoped they wouldn't know she was there. "You know as well as I do that this _Emma_ is not your wife. She never will be."

Emma's eyes widened at the comment and she bit her lip to stop her from gasping in shock.

"Excuse me?" The Queen said lowly.

"If you want Emma to stay here, then you cannot get married," Rumple explained quietly before calling louder. "Come in, Emma, I know you're there."

The blonde flushed at being caught before standing up straight. The door opened as she collected herself before striding through the door confidently. The sight that met her was interesting, Regina and the Dark One were face to face, both trying to outdo the other but once Emma stepped through the door, Regina backed away.

"What are you talking about we cannot get married?" Emma demanded. Sure, she'd been trying to avoid the marriage question with the Queen but hearing it from Rumple was causing her a feeling of unease.

"Spoilers!" The Dark One giggled.

"No, you said it, so you have to explain yourself," Emma hissed, trying to show her dominance in the conversation despite only just joining.

"Like I would tell you," Rumple scoffed. He turned to the Queen, a strong glare as he stared her down. "You promised me, Regina, and if you don't carry out your end of the bargain, I'll have to find suitable repercussions." His eyes floated down to Regina's pregnancy bump.

The Queen gasped as she followed his gaze and pressed her hand protectively over her bump. "Over my dead body."

Rumple's eyes glinted in delight. "That can be arranged," he teased.

"You will never get your hands on our child," Emma cried as she stepped forward, blocking Regina off from Rumple as if that would stop the Dark One from getting what he wanted but she had to try.

"I won't have to if the Queen follows her orders," Rumple stated clearly as his face darkened. "That's my new condition, your Majesty. If you refuse to cast the curse in the next five years, your precious baby will be mine!"

Before Regina or Emma could say anything, the Dark One snapped his fingers and disappeared in a swirl of deep red. Emma stared at where had stood, for how long, she didn't know. She was brought back to the moment when she felt Regina's hand on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise.

"Sorry," Regina murmured. "I didn't mean to scare you."

As she registered that was just Regina, she relaxed. "I'm good." She looked up at the Queen and pulled her close. She soon registered that Regina was sobbing into her neck. "I won't let him get her," Emma promised as she cuddled her love. "I'll fight him tooth and nail to protect you."

Regina pulled back. "You heard him, I have to cast this curse for him."

"You have to cast the curse for us," Emma correctly quietly. "Not only so that the baby will be safe, but so that any of this will happen. Ginny, if you don't cast the curse, I won't be able to come back here and this will never happen."

The Queen bit her lip and nodded. "I guess."

Emma hated the fact that Regina looked so dejected and there was nothing she could do to cheer her up at that present moment because Regina really did have to cast the curse, there was no way around it.

Regina's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in confusion as she took in the blonde. "How did you know where to find us?" She asked. "I'm glad you did but I didn't know you knew about this place."

Emma's face flushed in embarrassment. "Umm, you have a place similar to this in the future where you go when you want to get away from everyone," she admitted reluctantly. "I presumed this would be where he'd take you to get away from everyone and because he thought I didn't know about it."

"So are you the one who's been through my things?" Regina raised her eyebrow knowingly.

"Perhaps," Emma said, her face still blushing but then she started to panic. She still hadn't told Regina that she had found out about the trigger and the fact Emma had previously been in the crypt could lead to her revealing that but now was definitely not the time to admit that. "I was reading up on potions the other day and wanted to get familiar with some of the ingredients while you were away because I was bored."

Suddenly, Regina laughed in disbelief and shook her head. It was a beautiful sound that lifted the mood in seconds.

"I've told you not to look through powerful potion ingredients without me there," she chastised fondly. She reached out and tucked a loose strand of Emma's hair behind her ear. Emma captured her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. For lying, for covering up the truth and for the pretend story of why she had been in the crypt. "I won't do it again."

"Good." Regina pulled Emma's face to hers and kissed her softly. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Shall we head up to bed?"

Emma nodded wholeheartedly and held out her hand for the Queen to take. She cleared her mind of all thoughts and concentrated on their bedroom. With a wave of her hand, she transported them back.

"You're getting good," Regina remarked once the smoke had cleared.

"I have an amazing teacher," the blonde reminded her. As she was still holding her hand, she pulled the Queen close and kissed her softly. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so scared when he took you."

Regina reached forward and cupped the blonde's face, thumbing her cheek softly. "I can handle the imp," she sassed which Emma couldn't doubt. "Come on, let's get comfy."

Emma nodded, not able to think of anything better. She waved her hand and their clothes were removed and returned to their wardrobe and they slipped in bed. Automatically, Emma opened her arms and allowed the Queen to snuggle in. She turned her head and kissed Regina's forehead sweetly.

"How did it go with your uncle?" Emma asked, wanting to get her mind off what had just happened.

"You saw what he was like at dinner," Regina replied and sighed. She brought up her hand and started trailing patterns on Emma's flat stomach with her index finger. "He disregarded most of what I said, and I don't think Aunt Nella said more than three words the entire time. In fairness, I didn't know she was going to come, otherwise I would have asked you to stay so that she wasn't alone. We only really got a chance to talk after Xavier went to the bathroom." Regina paused for a moment and her hand rested on Emma's stomach, no longer moving. She looked up at the blonde. "She asked me why they weren't invited to the wedding."

"Oh," Emma said, not knowing what else there was to say. She hadn't really thought about that. It was easy to announce to the people that they had married and to other royals because it didn't really matter. Emma hadn't realised what it would mean to Regina's family. Surely, they would have been invited. "What did you say?"

The Queen shrugged. "I just said it was sort of a spur of the moment thing and we just wanted it to be us and close family," she revealed. "I lied to her and said only Daddy and your parents were there." She sighed. "I panicked. I didn't think she would be that offended that they weren't invited but apparently I was wrong…" she trailed off. Her brows furrowed as she thought about something. She bit her lip in an attempt to not say what she was thinking.

"Ginny?" Emma said softly, recognising what she was doing. "What are you thinking?" She didn't really need to ask, she already knew the answer.

Regina took a deep breath and looked away from Emma, she also pulled away a fraction. "Why won't you ask me to marry you?" She asked quietly.

Emma took a deep breath before sitting up, pulling the Queen with her. She took both of her hands in hers and look her in the eye. "I don't not want to marry you," Emma promised her before taking another deep breath. "I just feel like I shouldn't marry you while I'm in the past."

"You want to marry the future me." It was a statement not a question. Regina glanced down and bit her lip as her eyes started to water. "You love her more than me."

"No!" Emma cried immediately. She reached out and cupped Regina's face and thumbed away the tears that were now rolling down her face. "It's not a case of which version of you I love more, I don't have a preference. You're still the exact same you are now in the future, just more of a protective mama bear to Henry." The Queen smiled a watery smile at the fondness in Emma's voice when she spoke about Henry and about the way Regina was with him. "I just have this gut feeling that something would happen if we got married. My gut feelings are rarely wrong. Then with Rumple saying earlier that we shouldn't get married, it's kinda confirmed it." She took a breath. "I mean, he can see the future. What if us getting married fucks things up for the future? You have to cast the curse someday, Regina, whether you want to right now or not. You have to end up in Storybrooke for me even to get back to the past."

"I know," Regina said exasperatedly. "I just can't imagine feeling that dark again that I would want to. I have almost everything that I want. I have you, we have the baby, I rule the Kingdom. The only thing missing is a loving marriage. I've never had that." Regina wasn't crying out of sadness now, she was getting angry. Her voice was raising and her hands were tensing in Emma's. "I just want things to go my way for once."

"Oh, Ginny," Emma murmured and she pulled the Queen close, allowing her to sob into her neck. She rested her hand against the back of her head and rocked her gently in attempt to calm her down. "You will, I promise you that." She pulled back so that she could look Regina in the eye. "I promise you, as soon as I am back in Storybrooke, I will find you, wherever you are, and I will drop down on one knee and ask you to be mine for the rest of our lives. With or without a ring. You, me, Henry and Ally. We'll be a family."

At the sound of the new name, Regina raised her eyebrow and slowly smiled as it dawned on her. "Ally?" She repeated. "Who's Ally?"

At the question, Emma blushed in embarrassment. She was suddenly rather fascinated with the corner of the silk sheet she was lying under, avoiding the eye contact that the Queen was currently seeking. "Umm, I was thinking about the baby and realised that I quite like the name Alexandra for a girl, or Alexander for a boy. I didn't mention it earlier because I do also really like Charlotte and–"

Whatever the blonde was about to say was cut off as Regina tilted her head up and kissed her, her tongue slipping out to meet Emma's immediately. After a few minutes, they pulled back breathless. Emma's eyes were slightly glazed over in contentment.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" She asked.

"I adore the name," Regina replied before leaning in to kiss her once more. "Either way, Alexandra or Alexander for the baby. It sounds perfect. Alexandra Charlotte or Alexander Albus. What do you think?"

Emma cocked her head to the side, testing the names out in her head until she registered what Regina had said and chuckled. "Why Albus?"

"It's one of my father's middle names," Regina replied, confused why Emma was questioning the name when she had told her about it a few hours ago but then she realised a lot had happened since and the blonde must have forgotten.

"Everything is perfect, aside from Albus. I mean, the meaning of it is sweet, but you're already going to be naming our son Henry," she reminded the Queen. It wasn't that she didn't want to honour Regina's father again, it was just she knew that Snow and Charming would most likely get offended that they hadn't been thought of when Emma was naming her second child, despite what else was going on. "But I'm going to have to say no to naming our child Albus. It just reminds me too much of Harry Potter." She couldn't help the laugh when Regina looked confused.

"Who's he?" The Queen enquired, unable to associate why the name Albus would remind the blonde of someone called Harry.

"You'll find out in the future," Emma assured her with a laugh in her voice. "Besides, we won't have to worry about boy's names," Emma smirked, "because she's going to be a girl." She moved her hands so that she was resting them gently against the bump. She caressed Regina's skin with soft circles. "Aren't you, baby?" Emma's question was met with a light fluttering and she beamed before up at the Queen, her hands not moving. "She just confirmed it."

The Queen said nothing but simply cupped Emma's face and brought her head up before pressing a soft kiss to her pale lips.

Emma took a deep breath as she became serious once more. "We will get married one day, Regina, I promise you, and you are going to be the most beautiful bride, but I can't marry you here. Not yet."

"Okay," Regina murmured. She didn't sound as dejected as before but it was clear that she still wasn't happy in the matter. The Queen then smiled softly. "So, Alexandra Charlotte?"

Emma grinned. "If you can't think of anything better."

"I love it," Regina affirmed and leant down to kiss the blonde once more. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The two shifted so that they were lying in their usual sleeping position with Regina on her side and Emma spooning her from behind. The blonde pressed a soft kiss to the curve of Regina's neck and she heard the Queen sigh in contentment and shuffle back a fraction into Emma's embrace as her breathing started to even out.

Emma doubted it would be the last conversation on the marriage topic, but for now she wasn't worried. Not when they had chosen a name for their daughter.


	24. Chapter 24

Much to Emma's surprise, Regina didn't bring up the idea of the two of them getting married for the remainder of her pregnancy. It was as if the Queen had never mentioned it. Instead, she threw herself into preparation for the baby. She hired a nanny ready for after the birth and also had a private tutor brought in for antenatal classes. Some she attended alone and others Emma was invited, where the both learned about breathing techniques, better sleeping positions, and everything else.

As the due date got closer, Regina also started having bi-monthly appointments with the doctor. These weren't completely necessary, but she was a little paranoid, so Emma didn't want to get in the way. After what happened during Regina's first pregnancy, the blonde couldn't blame her and she made sure she was always there when the doctor came to hold Regina's hand.

Every time the doctor came, he said the same two things over and over. "The baby is perfectly healthy" and "you can do this, your Majesty." Hearing that the baby was okay, made the Queen relax but the words of reassurance also boosted her confidence about the pregnancy.

When Regina was thirty-four weeks, Emma spoke to the doctor privately while Regina was changing. The doctor had arrived early and Regina had been in a council meeting up until five minutes ago.

"Doc, can I ask a silly question?" Emma asked quietly, keeping an eye on the direction the Queen would appear from as she didn't want her to overhear.

"Your Highness, you can ask anything," the doctor assured her with a kind smile.

Despite coming across as a little stiff when the two had first met, they had warmed up significantly to each other. For Emma, it was after he confirmed nothing was wrong when Regina had started bleeding a few months ago. For the doctor, it was the fact that Emma was there for every single appointment. Typically, the fathers were there for the baby making and once the child reached 3, at the earliest. The time in between was predominantly for women and Emma was obviously completely different.

"Is there really no way of finding out if it's a girl or boy?" Emma asked, she bit her lip nervously, as if waiting for the doctor to laugh at her suggestion.

The doctor smiled. "There is no scientific way of finding out, I'm afraid," he replied. "You don't have long to wait, your Highness," he reminded her. "The Queen is only three weeks away from hitting full term. Can you wait that long?"

Emma laughed. "I suppose."

The two were then unable to talk more about it as Regina finally made her way out of their wardrobe. She was moving a lot slower these days, and Emma had to leave the doctor to help her lay down.

oOoOo

A few days later found Emma sitting in her favourite spot in Regina's library in front of the fire. The winter months had passed, along with a very cosy Christmas spent with the two of them and Henry, but she still enjoyed sitting by the fire. In her lap was a small leather-bound book on babies. She had found it when she was hunting for a new book to read as she was making her way through the library's shelves rather rapidly. She'd spotted it and decided to read it. You could never be too prepared!

She was curled into the chair as usual, sipping from her hot chocolate as she flicked through the pages. Some things described were very simple, stating the symptoms of pregnancy, to what to do when you know you're pregnant. She was about half way through when something piqued her interests.

 _How to tell if your child is a boy or girl, an old wives' tale!_

 _Take one of your rings and tie it to a long piece of your hair._

 _Dangle the ring directly over the pregnant belly._

 _Be patient and the ring will eventually start to move._

 _If the ring swings in a circular motion, you are having a girl._

 _If it swings side-to-side in a straight line, you are having a boy._

Despite knowing it was most likely going to be a load of rubbish, Emma couldn't help but get excited. She marked the page and made a mental note to try it once the two were in bed.

Therefore, it was unsurprising that she pulled the book out when she was lying in bed with Regina later on that evening. The Queen had had another stressful meeting as the advisors still weren't accepting that she wanted to take at least a month off from royal duties after the baby was born and have her father lead. The advisors were claiming that a week would be sufficient! Needless to say, Regina was trying to argue her point and it was going to deaf ears.

"Ginny, can we try something?" Emma asked quietly, motioning to the book.

Regina cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Does it involve moving?"

The blonde smiled. "No, in fact, you can stay exactly where you are," Emma assured her quickly. "I just need to borrow one of your rings."

The Queen's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"I want to try something." She held her hand out and waited for Regina to slip off one of her rings. She looked unsure, but she trusted the blonde implicitly.

Once the ring was place in Emma's hand, she smiled brightly before running her fingers through her hair, in hopes that a loose strand would fall. She wasn't disappointed. Well, she would have been if she didn't currently want a loose strand, but that was for another time.

She then slipped the strand through the ring and held it gently, hoping the hair wouldn't snap at the pressure of the ring. Fortunately, Regina had passed over a thin silver ring that had no jewel. The blonde didn't know what it meant, but now wasn't the time to ask.

Slowly, she moved forward and held the ring out in front of Regina's belly.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. Her eyebrow was raised as she took in the scene. Emma laughed quietly as she realised she must look ridiculous.

"Just go with it," Emma replied before concentrating. She held the ring over Regina's belly, trying not to influence the direction. "I read earlier of an old way to tell if the baby is going to be a girl or a boy. If you do this and the baby swings side to side in a straight line, then it's going to be a boy, but," Emma paused as the ring finally started to swing, "if it goes in a circular motion, it's a girl."

She stopped what she was saying as she took in the motion of the ring. She couldn't help her smirk. The ring was slowly, but surely, rotating in a circle, theoretically confirming what Emma had been saying from the beginning.

"They're really a girl?" Regina whispered. She looked up from the ring and looked Emma in the eye, the chocolate ones watering ever so slightly.

"So it seems," Emma confirmed before leaning forward and sealing their lips together in a sweet kiss.

oOoOo

The next week, Regina was spending more times in meetings than out as the council members really didn't want her to have her maternity leave so Emma found herself alone more often that not. Therefore, it was unsurprising that Henry found Emma sitting in her favourite place in the library mid-afternoon with her nose in a book. This time it was just a fiction book about an ogre going on the quest to save a princess, clearly where Shrek got its origins, not anything on pregnancy.

"Care for some company?" Henry asked.

Emma's head shot up at the sound. She'd been so enthralled in her book she hadn't noticed she was no longer alone.

"Sure!" She said quickly as she recovered. "I just need to finish this page." She was a stickler for not putting a book down when she was mid-page. If she had it her way, she wouldn't put it down until she had finished the chapter, but as she'd only just started that one, she couldn't make Henry wait until she'd finished. Once she'd read the final word of that page, she folded the corner slightly, and placed it down her table before finally looking up at Henry. "What's up?"

"Nothing really," Henry said. "We just haven't spoken in a while."

That was true. Henry had found himself in half of Regina's meetings with the council members, but they had banned him from this week's meetings, wanting to just speak to the Queen. Regina wasn't happy, but she had to keep them sweet if she wanted to get her way. Sure, she was the Queen and could do what she wanted, but she didn't have the time or energy to look for a new council should they all quit.

Emma nodded. "True."

She then waved her hand and produced a tray of tea. Henry watched as the teapot and cream rose and tipped, the liquids twirling together as the entered the teacup. The sugar pot then joined, dropping two sugar cubes into the cup and the spoon started stirring the liquid together.

Henry smiled as the teacup floated into his hand once it was finished. "You really are getting good with your magic."

Emma's face flushed at the compliment. "I have a great teacher," she said and shrugged, trying to make it less of a big deal before laughing. "Well now anyway. My first lesson she made a bridge collapse underneath me above a rafting river to provoke my natural instincts to save myself. She could have killed me."

Henry chuckled. "That sounds like Regina." He took a sip of his tea before placing it on the table. "It's good to hear that she doesn't change much in the future."

"No, she's still the same," Emma agreed with a smile before frowning. "She accused me of preferring the future her the other day," she said quietly.

"Do you?" Henry asked quietly. He knew Emma wouldn't have brought it up if she didn't want to talk about it. The fact that she was choosing to discuss this with him also made his heart soar. When he first found Emma passed out outside the castle, he never expected to be where they were. Emma not only turning out to be his daughter's True Love but the other mother to his grandchild to be. It was the makings of a story!

Emma shook her head. "No, like I said, to me, she's no different. She's not evil, she just wants to be loved."

"And she's loved in the future?"

The blonde smiled sadly. "Yes. She has Henry, our son, and she has Robin." Her face twisted at the name, something Henry picked up immediately.

"And Robin is?"

"Her boyfriend," Emma said reluctantly. "They're destined to be soulmates," she added, "how can I compare with that?"

"You're her True Love," Henry said as if it was obviously better. "Soulmates can be friends or siblings. Your True Love is just that. The truest love you could ever have and it can only be found in your partner. Regina and this Robin may be soulmates, but it might not be in the way you think."

"He's also the man who shot you with an arrow all those months ago," Emma said quietly. She had momentarily forgotten about the ambush.

Henry's face darkened slightly. "Another reason that he shouldn't have my daughter then if he's going to hurt her."

"He won't," Emma said dejectedly. "He loves her. He wants to make up for his past and his son absolutely adores her. Along with Henry, they're like the perfect family. What happens when I go back? I have to go back, Henry." She sighed. "I mean, I don't want to leave her, but god, I miss my son and my family. What if she doesn't remember all of this?"

"What about the baby?" Henry asked instead of answering Emma's question.

"She wasn't there when I left," Emma replied. "I'm not sure how it's all going to work, it may be different."

"Unless the baby goes back with you," Henry said quietly. Emma's brows furrowed. "Just think about it. If the child goes back with you, then Regina would be devastated and will cast this curse that she's been instructed to. The child wouldn't be in your past but then she would be with you in the future. Has Regina hinted to you that she has another child other than Henry or that there is a past between you?"

"Not in the slightest," Emma said and her mind immediately cast back to when they first met and they hated each other, all the tension between the two of them over Henry. She shook her head. "If that were the case, she wouldn't have been so possessive over Henry. Whatever happens between my leaving and then arriving in Storybrooke affects Regina."

Henry was silent as he thought it over. The most natural option that sprung to mind was that Regina must take a memory potion to forget about Emma, but he hoped that she wouldn't do that. Instead, he decided to concentrate on something else.

"Have you told her yet?" He asked quietly.

"Told her what?" If Emma thought about it, she would have known exactly what Henry was asking but she didn't want to.

"That you found out how to get back to the future," he revealed. "About the trigger?"

Emma shook her head. "No. Things keep getting in the way. I almost told her the other night when the Dark One turned up, but it wasn't the right time."

Naturally Henry knew all about Rumple's visit. He had been invited to dinner once he returned from his visit that ensured he avoided his brother. Regina had caught her father up, including her and Emma's discussion about marriage. The only part they left out was the fact that they had decided on the baby's name as they wanted that to be a surprise.

"Unless that's what the trigger is," Henry mused. "If you were to get married," he added when Emma looked confused.

"Perhaps," Emma said, toying with the suggestion.

However, before she could say anything else on the matter, the library's door slammed open and a guard rushed in, breathless and red faced.

"Princess Emma, Sir Henry, something is wrong with the Queen," he announced. "We were sent to fetch you and the doctor."

Immediately, Emma and Henry looked at each other in panic. Regina was thirty-five weeks gone, she wasn't quite full term. In panic, Emma grabbed onto Henry's arm and transported them to Regina's bedroom, presuming that was where she would be.

She wasn't wrong.

Regina was laying in bed, one arm wrapped around her stomach as she cried out in pain. There was a maid hovering beside her, currently getting verbally abused by the Queen.

"Of course, I'm not okay, idiot!" The Queen cried. "I'm in pain! Where's the doctor?"

Emma quickly rushed over. "I've got it from here, thank you, Janey," she said, politely dismissing the maid who practically ran out of the room. Emma then sat on her side of the bed and took one of Regina's hands in hers. "It's too early for labour, talk me through what's going on."

Regina panted, trying to regain her breath from the pain. "We were in the meeting and they were saying something ridiculous, I can't remember what, and I snapped. As soon as I finished my sentence, I felt the sharpest pain wrap around my belly. I thought I was going to pass out. Then it faded and then I was fine. About twenty minutes, it happened again and then I called out in pain and the next thing I knew was I was lying here and was told the doctor was on his way." She looked up in fear and her eyes were watering. "Have I lost her?"

The blonde reached and caressed the Queen's face. "No, honey," she said softly. "There's no blood is there?" Regina shook her head. "Then I think it's just Braxton Hicks."

"Brackon what?" Asked Henry as he walked over, taking his daughter's other hand.

"Braxton Hicks," Emma repeated. "They're kinda like fake contractions, they–"

"They're a warm up for the real thing," said a voice from behind them. The three turned and saw the doctor enter. Henry immediately stepped back to allow the doctor to see Regina and get to work. "They're completely harmless," he continued as he worked. "It's just your uterus preparing." He finished his checks and leant back up. "Are you still in any discomfort?" Regina blinked as she realised that she was no longer in pain and the doctor smiled in understanding. "You've changed your activity, from sitting to laying. That tends to get rid of it. Everything is absolutely fine."

"The baby is okay?" Regina whispered.

"Very," the doctor assured her as she squeezed her hand. "Everything is still on track, your Majesty. Now, get some rest and I'll be back next week for your next check-up."

"Thank you," Regina murmured as she started to settle.

"I'll walk you out," Henry said to the doctor realising that Regina was about to fall asleep any moment and Emma looked like she wanted to join her.

Once Henry and the doctor had left, Emma shuffled in the bed so that she was lying behind the Queen, spooning her gently.

"I've got you," she whispered into her ear before resting her hand gently against Regina's stomach. "I've got both of you. I promise."

Unbeknownst to the blonde, Regina smiled before allowing herself to drift off.

oOoOo

As soon as Regina hit thirty-seven weeks, the entire castle was on high alert at the possibility of the Queen going into labour at any moment, especially after the Braxton Hicks situation. She had at least two guards, often more, by her side at all times ensuring that she wouldn't be alone should she go into labour, and that someone could leave and fetch Emma and the doctor. Then again, Emma rarely let the Queen out of her sight. She'd told Hook she couldn't meet him again until after the birth of their child with promises that he could meet the baby as soon as the opportunity arose. Regina had been reluctant, but Emma had used her persuasion skills, i.e., spent an evening between the Queen's legs, until she had said yes.

Every little gasp or groan from Regina sent the guards into a frenzy to the point where Regina had threatened to curse them if they didn't calm down. Emma had quickly assured the guards that that wouldn't happen as the Queen was strictly forbidden from using magic until after the baby was no longer being breastfed. Emma had read something in a book which stated the possible side effects. None of them were pretty so she didn't want to risk it.

It was a couple of days after the thirty-eight-week mark when Emma and Regina were settling into bed. The Queen had had a more successful day as she had finally had her maternity leave signed off. Henry would be taking over all royal duties and Emma would also help out when necessary though she was rather reluctant to leave the Regina's side.

Regina was slowly lowering herself onto her side when she hissed in pain.

"Regina?" Emma was immediately by Regina's side, taking her hand as she helped her settle down. "Are you alright?"

The Queen nodded. "Yes, I'm fine," she assured her quickly. "I've just had a bit of back pain on and off all day. It's been getting worse this evening but I'm fine. If anything, it's probably just Braxton Hicks again. I'm just ready to finish pregnancy and meet the baby."

Emma smiled softly and bit her lip as to not laugh. "Umm, honey." Regina looked up. "I think that might be sooner than you think if you're having back pain that's getting worse. Braxton Hicks rarely happen this late in a pregnancy."

"What?" Regina asked, unable to fully understand what the blonde was saying.

Emma took hold of Regina's hands and said softly, "I think you're in labour."


	25. Chapter 25

"In labour?" Regina repeated. "I can't be, my waters haven't broken yet."

"Early stages of labour," Emma explained. "It starts with back ache, a tightening feeling. Sometimes your water doesn't break at the same time, it could be later on, but I think it's time to call for the doctor, just in case."

Emma shifted off the bed and started to make her way to the door to get the guards' attention to call for the doctor.

"Ugh!" The Queen gasped suddenly, making Emma backtrack and rush back over to the Queen.

"What is it?" Emma asked frantically, checking Regina's face.

"I don't think I can do this," the Queen cried. "I'm scared."

"Yes, you can," Emma promised her. She kissed Regina's forehead. "Let me get the doctor and make sure everything is going how it should be."

Regina was reluctant to let go of the blonde, but Emma managed to untangle herself from Regina's arms before quickly heading to the door.

"I think the Queen has gone into labour," she announced to the closest guard. Then there was a gasp, a cry and a shout of, "Emma!" and Emma glanced back at the Queen before turning back to the guard. "Scratch that, the Queen _is_ in labour. Get the doctor!"

"Yes, your Highness!" The guard affirmed before nodding to the guard on the right who sprinted off to fetch the doctor who had been moved into the castle the week before Regina hit her due date just in case.

They had decided not to fetch Henry until after the baby had been born so that he wasn't sat waiting anxiously to know that both Regina and the baby were okay.

Emma thanked him before turning back to the Queen, shutting the door behind her. She rushed over to the bed. "What happened?"

"It feels like I've wet myself," the Queen revealed, lifting back the silk sheets and Emma saw the wet patch on the bed.

"Your waters have broken, honey," Emma replied softly, not wanting to freak out the Queen. She quickly waved her hand over the mess so that Regina wouldn't be sat in a wet patch in bed. They had already decided that she would give birth in their bed if she could so that she was somewhere familiar and comfortable. Emma would just use her magic to clear up any mess afterwards. There was a chamber down the hall that had been set up just in case Regina needed an emergency operation but that was only for the worst-case scenario that Emma was praying would be needed.

The situation was bringing back her memories of labour with Henry. Though for her, it had gone from naught to one hundred in the matter of minutes. She had no warning signs of back pain and had barely hit her due date. It just so happened that the canteen in prison had served a rather hot curry that evening and what she thought was indigestion was actually labour pains. Once she'd realised, she was half way to the medic to get checked when her waters broke and she screamed.

Then suddenly, she was surrounded by guards who helped her to the hospital and she was helped onto the bed. Twenty minutes later, she was pushing. It was after that that her memories were a bit hazy. She clearly remembered refusing to even look at the doctor holding baby Henry in his arms, telling her again that it wasn't too late to give him up, that she could do it, but she was adamant that she couldn't and kept looking away until she heard the door shut behind him, indicating that he was no longer in the room.

She also had the now slightly hazy memories of finally looking at her son in the doctor's arms and thinking, "I can't let him go, he's my baby!" and accepting him into her arms and holding him close to her. He was her baby, her Henry.

However, now was not to time to be remember Henry's birth; she had to concentrate on Regina and help her through this birth. She knew there was no such thing as an epidural nowadays and the doctor had already advised against the herbal remedies that were sometimes used as they sometimes did more damage than good. She had read about a few numbing spells, but she didn't know if she was up to casting them should something go terribly wrong and she somehow numbed the baby or made the Queen permanently numb.

As another contraction hit, Regina gasped out. "I can't do this. Em, I can't."

Emma leant down and the Queen's forehead. "Yes, you can," she assured her. "I'll be here the entire time to help you and support you." She kissed her softly. "I'm not going to lie to you, it's a whole load of pain but the end is so worth it. When you hold our baby for the first time, it's the best feeling in the world." Emma was speaking from false memories as she didn't know anyone apart from the doctor and nurses who had held baby Henry from the beginning, but if her fake memories were true, it was the most wonderful experience.

"You won't leave?" Regina repeated.

"Not for a second," Emma promised just as the doors opened and the doctor arrived.

"Are we ready?" He asked as he rushed over.

"Not at all!" Regain replied. "It hurts!"

The doctor smiled knowingly. "I know, my Queen, but the pain is worth it in the end. I promise."

He then set about checking over the Queen to make sure she wasn't at risk before the labour, but she passed all of the tests. Emma was now sat on her side of the bed with Regina's hand in hers. The Queen squeezed tightly whenever a contraction hit. They had started strengthening and growing closer together since her waters had broken, but they were no where near close or strong enough to indicated that she was going to need to push soon.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a while," the doctor revealed once he finished his checks. "It doesn't look the baby is quite ready to come out yet."

"What!?" Regina snapped. "But it already hurts so much."

"You're only four centimetres dilated so far," the doctor said. "If I were you, I'd probably get up and walk around for a bit. The pressure might help." He turned to Emma. "Or you can massage her back to relax her." He turned back to the Queen. "A hot bath might also help." He paused before he revealed his next sentence, not sure how the Queen would take it. "It wouldn't surprise me if the new prince or princess didn't arrive until the morning."

Regina then burst into tears. "It's barely ten, I can't deal with this until the morning!"

"It's not his fault, Gin," Emma murmured softly, trying to calm the situation. The doctor looked grateful for her interference, but Regina still looked upset. "All this pain will be worth it," Emma repeated before learning forward and pressing her lips against Regina's sweaty forehead.

"As you're only in the early stages of labour, it would probably be best for the two of you to be alone," the doctor said slowly. "This will be the last time you two will be alone before the baby is born. Spend this time together. Emma, can I talk to you for a second?"

Emma looked a little worried but rose from the bed to meet the doctor.

"What's wrong?" She asked cautiously.

The doctor smiled reassuringly. "Nothing, everything is going well. We both know the Queen…" They both looked over to her as she gasped out as another contraction hit before turning back to each other and smiling nervously. "It's important to keep her calm and stress free. Make sure she's up and moving because that will help. I would recommend the bath and get in with her, massage her back, show her that you're there. It also sometimes helps to massage her breasts as that's been known to strengthen the contractions." Emma blushed at the ease that the doctor stated that, but he continued as if he hadn't noticed her embarrassment. "Don't continue when her contractions are really close and only do one at a time. It's a first birth, they never go as quickly as we want."

The blonde nodded. "I'll do whatever is needed."

"Perfect."

The two then broke apart before returning to the Queen.

"You can do this, your Majesty," he promised her with a squeeze of her hand. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on you. If you need me, just get the guard to call me."

Regina nodded. "Okay," she said quietly.

The doctor bid them goodbye before leaving. He left his medicine bag as there was no point taking away to just bring it back again.

"I'm just going to get you something to wear," Emma murmured before pressing another kiss to Regina's head.

Emma brought out a light cotton night dress for Regina to wear. She then helped the Queen out of bed and slipped the gown over her head. It was soft and warm, and she felt comfortable wearing it. Once she was dressed, she slowly started to pace by the end of the bed. She hissed and gripped the bedframe whenever a contraction hit. Emma would rush forward and rub her back through the pain before allowing her to start walking again.

"Why don't we take a bath?" Emma suggested after a while. "I'll make it nice and hot and massage your back for you to ease some of the pain. What do you think?"

Regina nodded. "I'll do anything to get this over with. It hurts so bad."

Emma led the Queen to the washroom and waved her hand over the bathtub, immediately filling it with hot soapy water, steam rising from the water temptingly. She helped the Queen out of her night gown before assisting her into the bathtub. Quickly, she took off her own clothes and slipped into the bath behind her, her legs sliding either side of the Queen who automatically leant back into the blonde's embrace.

"I can't massage your back if you lean like this," Emma murmured into her ear before kissing her temple.

"This is good for now," Regina assured her.

The two stayed like that for a while in silence which was only broken by Regina's gasp or whimper as a contraction hit. They were now getting stronger and more regular. Emma hoped that the baby would arrive before the morning but even she could tell they were in for a long night. Despite the increase and strength of the contractions, they still weren't anywhere near close to what she experienced while giving birth to Henry. Of course, she didn't tell Regina any of that.

After a while, they switched positions so that Emma could massage Regina's lower spine. It was clearly helping by the sounds the Queen was making.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was making love to you, my love," Emma teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Regina laughed. "I'd would much prefer that," she replied, "but it was that that got us in this situation in the first place."

"And boy was it good," Emma reminded her, casting her mind back to the first time they had slept together all those months ago. It still baffled her that she was in a loving relationship with the Queen, who not only was her True Love, but who was now in labour with their child. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina gasped out as another contraction hit. Emma massaged her back a fraction harder.

She then thought back to what the doctor had said and slowly lifted her right hand to the front of Regina's body and started gently massaging her right nipple. She trailed her fingers gently around it before rolling the nipple before her thumb and forefinger.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. She couldn't think of having sex right now with all the pain she was going through.

"Following the doctor's order," Emma replied before explaining what he said earlier. "Apparently this will help speed things up."

After that, Regina allowed herself to relax and enjoy Emma's attention on her breast. Before long, the blonde switched breasts as to not overstimulate the first one.

About ten minutes later, she stopped. "Shall we get you up and walking again?"

Regina nodded. "Okay."

Emma helped the Queen out of the bath and dried her down before slipping her night gown over her head. They returned to their bedroom and Regina started her slow walks once more.

The next few hours passed much the same with Regina alternating between sitting, lying down and walking. Emma kept massaging her back every now and then and gave her reassuring kisses and pep talks. The doctor returned as promised and revealed that everything was still going smoothly, Regina was dilating slowly but she was progressing. She was now six centimetres.

After the doctor's second visit, Emma suggested they lay in bed together. She dimmed the candles in the room, and turned the fire down before opening her arms and allowing Regina to snuggle in. Despite the immense pain she was in, Regina could always fall asleep in Emma's arms. After a few minutes, the Queen's breathing evened out. Emma looked down at her and smiled. She pressed a soft kiss on her temple and allowed herself to sleep too.

They slept for a couple of hours on and off, only waking up when Regina had a particularly strong contraction before falling back to sleep.

The doctor returned after another couple of hours and checked the Queen over again.

"You're around eight centimetres now, your Majesty," he revealed. "You're almost there."

Regina simply groaned. "I'm so done with this pregnancy and labour." She turned to Emma and glared slightly. "I swear, if we want more children in the future, you're having them."

Emma nodded and laughed. She didn't know if Regina meant the future to this point or way in the future when Emma was back in Storybrooke. She didn't mind either way; she was more than happy to provide the Queen with as many children as she wanted.

Not so deep down, she wanted another chance of pregnancy and having someone dote on her hand and foot like she had on Regina during the pregnancy, and to have someone holding her hand and be there for her during the labour. More than that, she wanted the opportunity to share the first moments of her child's life with someone. Her fake memories gave her the experience of all the firsts with Henry but even in those, she'd found herself looking for someone to share those moments with. She was unsure if they were Regina's true memories and hadn't dared ask.

"I'll have as many as you like, my love," Emma replied, bringing herself back into the moment. "Well, no more than five. I don't want my you know what looking misshapen." She chuckled at her own joke.

Regina even managed to crack a smile before gasping out in pain again. Emma ran to her side in seconds.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked. "Any spell you know that I could cast to help?"

The Queen shook her head adamantly. "I don't want any more magic to influence them," she replied quickly. "Magic made her, I don't want it to accidentally destroy her." Emma nodded and swallowed. "I'm not saying your magic would do that," Regina added quickly as she took in Emma's reaction to her words. "I'm just saying–"

"I know," Emma said quickly, cutting off the Queen. She reached forward and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It's okay."

Regina nodded before gasping out again. The contractions really were coming in thick and fast now. Emma turned and pleaded with the doctor, silently asking him if there was anything she could do. He shook his head before walking forward to test to Queen once more.

He pulled back smiling. "The baby will be here in the next couple of hours," he announced. "You're at ten centimetres."

Finally, Regina beamed. "Really?"

"Really," the doctor affirmed. "Now, let's get you in a better position to push."

The Queen was currently on her side as she found it the most comfortable position, but it wasn't great to push in. Therefore, Emma helped her lean forward and the doctor rearranged many pillows behind her so that she could sit almost fully up. He also set up some pillows for her to rest her feet up so she could have her legs open wide for delivery. Just looking at the set up made Emma glad that she had given birth in the future with all the modern equipment.

"Are you ready?" The doctor asked.

"No," Regina replied, biting her lip in fear. She could feel the sensation to push, but she was too scared.

"Ginny, honey, it's time," Emma said, knowing the thoughts of doubt going through her heard. She kissed her forehead before pecking her lips. "You can do this. You are going to push like the trooper you are and we're going to meet our baby."

"Your Majesty, it's time to push," the doctor announced.

Emma quickly jumped onto the bed and took Regina's hand in hers so that she could hold onto something as she pushed for the first time.

It seemed to take hours. Push after push, gasp after gasp, until finally, just as the dawn was breaking, a quiet, high pitched cry was heard. It echoed brilliantly around the room, announcing that the baby had been born. At the sound, the guards outside rushed to inform Henry of the birth and to bring him up.

"Congratulations, your Majesty, your Highness, on your new princess!" The doctor announced. He quickly wrapped her up in the blanket beside him, wiping off the excess blood as quickly as possible as he knew he couldn't delay returning the baby to the Queen.

Within minutes, he placed her on Regina's chest.

"Hello, my beautiful Princess," Regina cooed as she opened her arms and accepted her daughter. "You are so beautiful."

Emma's hand was throbbing in pain with Regina's squeezing but right at that moment, she didn't care. She wrapped one arm around Regina's shoulders and brought the other one up to gently cup the baby's head. She leant forward and kissed the baby's forehead before kissing Regina's.

"I'm so proud of you," she murmured quietly. "Hello, beautiful," she whispered to the baby, she felt herself tear up and felt one fall, unable to keep them back as she stared extatically down at her daughter.

"What's her name?" The doctor asked.

"Alexandra," Regina replied, not looking away from her daughter. "Alexandra Charlotte."

"That's a beautiful name," the doctor said but Regina wasn't listening anymore as Alexandra had finally opened her eyes and Regina took everything in.

Alexandra had the same chocolate brown eyes that Regina had and the same shape. Her nose was all Emma and the same as Henry, not that she knew that yet. The baby's lips were full like Regina's, but pale like Emma's. Her skin was a mix of theirs, a fraction lighter than Regina's but a few shades darker than Emma's. The little hair she had was a slightly tawny colour, so far a mix of Emma and Regina's but that would become clearer when she was older.

"I can't believe how much I love her already," Regina muttered quietly. "She's absolutely perfect."

Emma finally looked up from the baby and met Regina's eyes which were watering in happiness. "Just like you, my love," Emma said. "I am so proud of you." She leant forward and Regina met her half way for a soft kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Regina replied. "Would you like to hold her?"

"You don't have to ask me twice," Emma said, grinning brightly.

Slowly, Emma shifted her position and held her arms ready for Regina to place Alexandra in them and for the first time, Emma experienced holding her child in her arms as a true, real memory. Ally was light but also heavier than expected. Emma felt her heart sore with love for her. Sure, she'd loved her from the moment she found out Regina was pregnant, but now she couldn't imagine loving anything more.

She looked over and saw that Regina had fallen asleep. Slightly panicked, she looked up at the doctor.

"She'll be exhausted, let her sleep," he said softly. "I just need to clean myself up and then I'll be back to run all the checks on the Princess."

Emma nodded and watched him leave. Once the door was shut behind him, she glanced back at her daughter lying in her arms. She then leant down and pressed her lips softly to Alexandra's forehead and quietly whispered, "welcome to the world, Alexandra Charlotte Swan-Mills."


	26. Chapter 26

So… life with a new born was everything Emma imagined, yet never expected.

Alexandra was actually a very well-behaved baby. She latched onto Regina during every feed almost immediately and always filled her belly. As a typical baby, she cried a lot, but it wasn't excessive. Both Emma and Regina were able to calm her down quite quickly and they soon figured out which cry meant what. Whenever it was the "I'm hungry" cry, Emma would simply pick her up and carry her to Regina and the Queen would take over.

Regina was flourishing in motherhood, not that Emma ever doubted it for a second with the way she was with Henry. Every time she had Alexandra in her arms, she couldn't stop smiling, even when the baby had left her a nasty present in her nappy. She was alert and could pick up when the baby was about to cry before she even started. And despite how exhausted she was, she still did everything with a smile to the point where she had excused the nanny she had hired because she was so okay with doing everything herself or with Emma. Emma was secretly happy as she didn't really like the idea of a strange woman looking after her daughter. Sure, Nanny Kala was a lovely woman, but Emma was still uncomfortably with the idea of having a nanny and was once again rather relieved that she wasn't brought up in this world as a princess.

What Emma didn't expect was just how much she would fall in love with her daughter. Every time she had her in her arms, she fell more. She knew that a mother could produce more love, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly and to have so much. All Ally did was eat, sleep, cry and poop and yet she found all of endearing and she couldn't get enough. Even when the baby woke her god knows how many times during the night and Emma couldn't do anything but pass her to Regina for a feed, she still loved it.

Emma had already gotten into the habit of calling the new princess Ally which Regina didn't mind at first; the cute nickname suited the baby and when she overheard her father calling her Ally, she found it rather charming. However, when she heard some of the guards and maids calling her Princess Ally, she started to get annoyed and was adamant that Emma had to start calling her Alexandra when they weren't alone. Typically, the blonde had rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless. Although when it was just the three of them, Emma was sure she never uttered the name Alexandra. She once called her Al and Regina threw a pillow at her. Fortunately, the baby wasn't in her arms at the time. Al hadn't been used as a nickname again.

Henry was also completely besotted with his granddaughter from the moment he saw her and her tiny fist wrapped around his thumb. He first met her a couple of hours after she was born. He had chosen to wait a couple of hours so that Regina and Emma could get some rest after the labour, but once that passed, he raced up to the Queen's bedroom and found her and Emma lying side by side with the baby lying in Regina's arms and Emma resting one hand under her head.

The two looked up and Regina beamed at her father. "Hi," she whispered, in an attempt to not wake up the sleeping baby. "Come meet your granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?" He repeated. He had requested that the guard simply tell him when the baby had been born and not reveal the gender. He wanted the surprise despite Emma saying she would be a girl for the past few months.

Regina nodded and glanced at Emma who smiled encouragingly, silently telling her she could reveal the name to her father who by now had reached the bed and was perched beside his daughter.

"Yes, this is Princess Alexandra Charlotte," Regina revealed. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Definitely," Henry said, his voice thick with emotion. He held out his arms and accepted the baby, bringing her close to his chest, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. She woke up as Regina passed her over, but she didn't cry. Instead, she looked up at the new person in front of her, taking everything in. Henry took hold of her tiny hand and she wrapped her fingers around his thumb making his heart melt in happiness. "Hello, Alexandra," he cooed. "You're so beautiful. Just like your mommies." He looked up and smiled in embarrassment, forgetting that Regina and Emma could hear everything he was saying. "She's the prefect combination of the two of you, it's incredible."

"I think she looks more like Regina than me," Emma said before chuckling quietly, "but this one thinks she looks more like me."

"She does!" Regina insisted. "Look at her nose and her hair, that's all you and her lips too and skin. She's a mini you." Her voice filled with warmth and love as she compared her child and her partner together. She didn't mind in the slightest that Alexandra looked more like Emma, in fact, she preferred it.

"Nonsense," Emma said. "Just look at her eyes, they're all you, and her mouth is so you. Let's face it, Ginny, she looks like you."

"She looks like both of you," Henry said, somewhat firmly. "You both just described parts of her that look like each of you. Let her get a little older before you start saying that. Regina looked like her mother when she was born but as she got older, she started to look more like me and I wouldn't have it any other way," he added with a warm smile and Regina laughed.

"Thank heaven for that," she muttered. However, the Queen's laughter seemed to be a fraction loud and Alexandra started to whimper but before Regina could panic, Henry started rocking her side to side and hushing her. Within moments, Ally calmed down and fell asleep in her grandfather's arms.

"You're a pro, Henry," Emma admired.

"I raised one perfect daughter," he said with a smile to his daughter. "And now I have a perfect granddaughter. I am one very happy man right now."

oOoOo

After Ally turned a month old, Regina had to return to her royal duties. Henry had taken over as planned and fortunately, he hadn't needed Emma's help with anything…not that blonde knew what she could have done to help. It wasn't an issue, per say, that Regina had to return, it just made feeding times slightly inconvenient. The royal advisors had tried to arrange the meetings around when Alexandra needed to be fed, but sometimes it just couldn't be helped, and Emma had to interrupt a meeting with the baby and the advisors had to avert their eyes while the Queen nursed her baby.

Aside from that, when Regina was in meetings, it meant that Emma was alone with Ally. It wasn't that she didn't want to be, not in the slightest, she was just really very nervous about it all. Sure, she had the false memories of looking after Henry, but they were different that the real thing. Plus, being back in time was also a pain. There were no diapers like the ones in the future, just cloths that needed to be washed every day, multiple times a day. Emma couldn't even magic them clean because she was too exhausted to cast a spell. She felt ridiculously guilty about sending the dirty nappies to the maids, but she didn't really have a choice.

She also didn't want to nap too much during the day either when Regina was in meetings because she felt too guilty about that too. There were times in the night that Regina just told Emma to go back to sleep when Ally needed feeding as Emma really couldn't do anything to help at the moment. Therefore, Emma was able to get more sleep than the Queen and then she didn't have to do anything during the day. Regina swore she didn't mind but Emma didn't want to take the piss with it.

In amongst all of that, Regina was also planning Alexandra's announcement ball. She had to invite all the royal families, not that she wanted to, and introduce the new crowned princess to the Realm, though that part she was excited about. She was proud to show off her daughter to the Realm, she just didn't want to host a party. Emma was also pretty useless with arrangements as she didn't have a single clue what to suggest.

"And you say you're a princess," Regina scoffed one evening as they were going through plans. She softly elbowed Emma to show she was joking.

Alexandra was in her crib by the foot of the bed, fast asleep, while Emma and Regina were going over plans in bed. Emma had her arm around the Queen and was running her other hand up her leg gently causing the Queen to shiver. It was rather distracting.

"I need to finish these plans," Regina groaned, her eyes fluttering as Emma's fingers slipped higher, tracing patterns on her inner thigh.

"I'm not stopping you," Emma said, with a small smirk.

She wasn't doing anything intentionally and she had no plans to persuade Regina to sleep with her. She'd already promised that she would wait for the green light from Regina before even suggesting it. She knew after giving birth to Henry that she wouldn't have been ready for sex again for a few weeks. That wasn't to say she didn't miss it. There was nothing better than being intimate with her True Love, but she could wait.

"Your actions say otherwise," Regina commented, and Emma's hand froze before gently moving away.

"Sorry," she muttered softly, feeling guilty.

Before Regina could say anything else, Alexandra started to cry. It was her "hold me, I want attention" cry so Emma quickly removed her arm from around the Queen and headed over to the baby. She picked her up and started rocking her side to side.

"What's the matter, baby," she cooed before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Are we ignoring you too much? I'm sorry."

Regina watched the scene in front of her, her heart melting at the sight. She absolutely adored seeing Emma with Alexandra. The blonde was the perfect mother. She was cut off from her thoughts when she heard Emma say, "ooh, I think it's time you saw Mommy."

The two had established pretty quickly that Regina would be 'Mommy' and Emma would be 'Mama', mainly because Henry called Regina 'Mom' and had started calling Emma 'Ma' after his memories came back. He had stated that he didn't want to go back to calling Emma by her name after calling her 'Mom' for a year and soon decided he would call her 'Ma' as having the two go by 'Mom' would be too confusing.

The Queen was puzzled as she thought Emma was handling it all well.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her voice slightly panicked.

"Nothing," Emma assured her quickly before laughing quietly. "She just keeps leaning towards my boobs, so I think she's hungry."

Regina relaxed and quickly cleared the bed of the papers that were previously surrounding her. "As delicious as your breast are, I don't think they'll do the job," she joked, her eyes glazing over slightly as she imagined Emma's breast. She even absentmindedly licked her lips. She wasn't ready for sex yet, but she did miss being intimate with her love. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked expectantly at Emma. "Pass her here."

She reached out and accepted the baby from the blonde before shifting her dress to be able to feed her. Emma perched back on the bed, watching her favourite two girls together. She always got a small twinge of jealously when she saw the two together like this as she had no memories, fake or otherwise, of doing this. Obviously, Regina hadn't breastfed Henry and therefore, had no memories of it to give Emma of the experience and hadn't known how to imitate it.

Regina watched Emma for a couple of minutes while she fed Alexandra and could tell something was up, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"What's the matter?" She asked quietly. She adjusted Ally so that she could hold her with one arm while the other reached out and tangled her fingers with Emma's. "You seem sad."

The blonde sided before absentmindedly began playing with Regina's fingers. "I just wish I could experience what you're going through," she revealed softly. "I never got to breastfeed."

Regina half smiled. "You'll have it one day," she assured her. "I wasn't joking when I said I wanted you to have the next one. You're so beautiful, but I can already imagine how beautiful you're going to be with your belly growing because of our child." Her eyes glazed over with happiness as she imagined it. "Wherever we are when it happens. I'll be sure to wait on you day and night."

Emma couldn't help the grin that grew on her lips. Being careful of Ally who was still happily suckling away on her mother's breast, Emma leant forward and pressed her lips against Regina's. "I'm already excited."

"Me too," the Queen admitted. She stole another soft peck before Ally showed signs of finishing. Emma happily took her to burp her before placing her back down in her crib. Regina watched with a soft smile and waited patiently for Emma to rejoin her bed. "So, about this announcement ball…"

Emma couldn't help the groan or the sigh before collecting herself. "Shoot, tell me everything."

The two then spent the rest of the evening ironing out the creases and narrowing down the guest list. They didn't need Duke This or Lady That. They decided to give the invitations just to other royals.

Emma listed the names that Regina rattled off, pausing only to get the spellings of them.

"I suppose we'll have to invite Uncle Xavier and Aunt Petronella," Regina sighed and Emma added the names to the list. "I don't want to, but I do want Aunt Nella there as she wants to meet Alexandra." She then rattled off a few more names of different Kings and Queens. "Oh, and before I forget, Maleficent."

Emma's hand paused over the page and she blinked in shock before looking up at Regina. "What? You want to invite her? No way."

"We have to," Regina said. "She'll be furious if I don't invite her. We have history…" The Queen shifted where she sat, a steady flush growing on her face and she bit her lip nervously.

The blonde's eyebrow raised. She knew Regina had a past with the dragon, but she didn't know to what extent. "What kind of history?" She asked slowly, slightly teasingly as she saw Regina's blush darken.

"She was my teacher when I had enough of the imp," Regina replied and huffed slightly at the mention of the Dark One. "But then it turned into something else and we became lovers." Emma was silent, not knowing what to say and decided it was best to say nothing, especially not mention the fact that she killed Maleficent in the future. "It didn't last long," Regina added hastily when she Emma's reaction, "she became too preoccupied with revenge on Briar Rose and I got pregnant and you know the rest." She shrugged. "But we have to invite her, otherwise all hell will break loose."

"No," Emma said, speaking again. "Not even the fact that you used to be together, but I don't want her there." She'd heard too much about the dragon in Henry's storybook and from the films despite knowing they were almost always wrong, but she still didn't trust her. "Anyone can come but not Maleficent. I'm sorry, but I'm putting my foot down on this one."

Regina looked like she was going to argue but instead, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay," she agreed before glancing over to the list. "Add King George."

Emma paused for a minute, surprised that Regina hadn't argued her point, but dutifully added the name to the list.

It was tiring work, but by the time they went to sleep, they had the final list ready to be present to the advisors the next day.

oOoOo

On the day of the ball, which took place two weeks later, Emma was a nervous wreck. She'd never been in the company of so many royals and she was terrified, convinced she was going to show herself up somehow or accidentally embarrassed the Queen which of course she didn't want. And no matter how many times Regina said she was going to be okay, she just couldn't believe her.

While Regina dressed, Emma tried to calm herself down but hugging Alexandra to her chest and breathing in her wonderful baby smell. She held her close and started rocking side to side before taking small steps and before long, she was dancing around the bedroom, singing quietly. Ally was still too young to laugh, or even smile, but Emma was sure she would be if she could.

Then, there was a quiet chuckle head behind her. Turning, she realised she'd been caught. Regina was stood by the door, leaning on the frame, just watching the two.

"Are you having fun there?" She teased and Emma blushed before shrugging it off.

"Maybe, maybe not," she winked, "but Ally was loving it, weren't you baby." She lifted her so they were face to face and started nuzzling her nose against the baby's. It was also going well until a new smell joined them. "No, Alexandra! You're not meant to do that while we're bonding."

Realising what was going on, Regina walked forward, arms already outstretched. "Pass her here and I'll get her clean while you get changed."

Emma took in the Queen who was already dressed. She was wearing a deep emerald dress that brought out her eyes. It was long sleeve but unusually high necked as she didn't feel like being that revealing post birth

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, hesitating before passing Ally over.

"Yes," Regina insisted with a smile. "You still need to get ready and I'm sure I can change her without getting dirty and if I do, I'm sure you can just clean me up."

Emma's eyes flashed. "I'd rather make you dirty," she husked, unable to help herself.

Regina's eyes also darkened at the tone of Emma's voice. She crossed the room and picked Ally up out of her arms. "Soon, my love," she promised before kissing Emma softly. "But right now, you need to get dressed and this little one needs changing."

The blonde stole one last kiss before agreeing and finally headed to their wardrobe to get changed. Emma saw a royal blue dress on the hanger ready for her. It was bejewelled in small crystals and once she put it on, she felt like a real princess for the first time. Once dressed, she returned to the bedroom and saw that Henry had arrived as he would be the one to bring Alexandra into the ballroom.

"You look beautiful, Emma," Henry commented as she walked in.

"You look very dapper yourself," she replied with a smile before turning to Regina who was holding a now dressed Alexandra. She was dressed in a golden dress as was standard for these balls. "Shall we get going?"

"Let's," Regina said. She passed Alexandra over to Henry before taking Emma's outstretched hand and the family walked down to the ballroom.

As they arrived, the stewards bowed their head in respect before opening the door.

"Announcing Queen Regina and Princess Emma!" The lead steward called and banged his stick.

The trumpeters played and the crowd applauded as the two entered the room. Regina walked in gracefully and Emma followed by her side nervously. The Queen squeezed Emma's hand reassuringly before leading her to the dancefloor.

"Breathe," Regina whispered, "and follow my lead."

"Always," Emma promised as the two started dancing to the music.

Emma managed to somewhat gracefully stumble her way through the dance and didn't think she took a breath throughout it, but she succeeded. Regina led Emma back to the front of the of the crowd and once more they were met with applause.

"Thank you for coming to celebrate this wonderful occasion," Regina called out. "It brings me great joy to announce and introduce you to your new Princess." The doors opened to reveal Henry walking through holding the baby. He passed her over to Regina who held her high to the world. "Princess Alexandra Charlotte."

The applause started once more, including a few cheers, until a cold draft flooded through the room and the candles flickered. There was crash of thunder and a flash of lightening outside and the opposite door to the ballroom crashed open to reveal a cloaked figure.

"You didn't think you could host a ball without inviting me, did you?"

 _A/N: Who could possibly be interrupting the ball? Let me know your guesses, I'm intrigued!_


	27. Chapter 27

"Maleficent," Emma hissed, knowing just exactly who the new arrival was from seeing her in Henry's storybook. There was no one else it could possibly be.

She was stood tall, full of poise, wearing a black leather suit that clung to her body like a second skin. She was wearing her signature headdress of horns, bringing a hint of fear with her. Her eyes were locked directly on Regina, not even on Alexandra, as if trying to see her soul. Regina pulled Alexandra close to her chest.

At the sound of Emma's voice, the dragon's eyes glanced over to her and she smirked. "You seem familiar with me," she husked. The crowd parted as she started making her way over to the Queen and Princesses. "Though I do not believe we've met." She stopped just short of the royal couple.

"Maleficent," Regina repeated, this time there was a warning in her voice. "What are you doing here? You weren't invited." Her face flushed in guilt and her breath hitched. She wished she could say 'I told you so' to Emma but now was definitely not the time.

The dragon stretched out her hand and feigned looking at her nails. "I know, how insulting," she looked up at the Queen, "after everything we've been through, Regina."

The crowd gasped at the use of the Queen's name. No one used that and lived. Except, it seemed, for Maleficent. She continued to stare at the Queen, her eyebrow perfectly raised, daring her to comment on it.

"We didn't want you here," Emma said, stepping forward, just in front of the Queen. A clear protective stance in front of her love and daughter.

Maleficent clutched her heart, a mock gesture, "I'm wounded."

"What do you want?" Emma asked, starting to lose her temper.

The dragon gestured to the room. "The exact same as the rest of the people here. To bestow a gift upon the princess and to see her." She stepped closer until she was in front of Regina, completely ignoring Emma. The blonde kept her position but that didn't matter to Maleficent. "She is a beauty," she murmured. She reached out, but Emma cut her off.

"Don't touch her," Emma hissed. A flash shot from her fingers as her anger struck.

"I just want to bestow my gift and I'll be on my merry little way," she defended, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "I owe the Queen."

Emma glanced at Regina, allowing her to make the final decision. She knew that she didn't want anything from the dragon, but as she was friends with the Queen, it was for her to decide.

Regina's eyes narrowed at Maleficent is slight distrust. This could go one of two ways. Maleficent could curse Alexandra and cause her pain and misery, or she could surprise them and do the exact opposite. Regina relaxed when she saw how Maleficent's gaze softened as she looked at the baby and that made up her mind.

"May I?" Maleficent quietly, motioning to Alexandra.

Slowly, Regina held out the baby with a side glance to Emma who was flexing her fingers just in case she needed to summon her magic quickly. The Queen nodded to the dragon, cautiously placing her trust in her.

Maleficent reached out and slowly ran her fingers over Alexandra's tawny hair before holding the back of her head. "My gift to you, Alexandra, is beauty, compassion and pure joy," she whispered. "I wish you to have the most wonderful of lives where you laugh every day."

Emma's eyes flashed in confusion and pure shock. The look on Maleficent's face showed that she was being honest and as Emma's lie detector didn't ping, she knew that she wasn't lying. Regina glanced at Emma, just as much in shock as the blonde.

Slowly, Maleficent looked up at Regina, once more ignoring Emma. "You know what you mean to me, Regina," she said softly as an explanation for her gift. She pulled her hand back from the baby, her hands tensing. "I'd never do anything to spite you."

With that said, she flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Emma, and the crowd, to just stare at the place she once stood. Fortunately, the guards recovered quicker and waved at the orchestra to start playing once more and the crowd started to disperse as some started to dance.

Emma reached forward and picked Alexandra out of Regina's arms and cuddled her close. "We can talk about what just happened later without prying eyes," she murmured. There were so many questions on her lips, but she didn't want to ask them with an audience.

Regina nodded and swallowed nervously. She expected Emma to have questions but which ones she would ask, she didn't know.

oOoOo

By the time the ball died down, Emma was far too tired and angry to bring up the conversation about Maleficent as the evening got much worse. After an hour, Janey, Regina's hand maid, was called to take Alexandra up to bed and to stay with her while she slept until Emma and Regina went to bed.

Henry had bowed out quite quickly after a heated discussion with his brother. Emma had seen him storming away from Xavier, chuntering over his breath, shaking his head. Quickly, she ran after him.

"Henry, wait!" She called, slightly out of breath from running. "What happened?"

"Xavier," Henry hissed, his hands balling up in fury. "I've never liked him, but now I say without doubt that I _hate_ him."

"But what happened?" Emma asked again, her breathing now returning back to normal.

"He's always hated the fact that Regina was ruling on her own without a husband to "tell her what to do"," he revealed, "and now he was saying disgusting things about the two of you and even called Alexandra an abomination."

"He what?" Emma's voice was low, crisp, laced with growing anger.

"And it's because of my "weak" influence on her that she's "made all of these bad decisions". I could have throttled him, but I didn't want to ruin yours or Regina's evening."

"I'm gonna kill him," Emma threatened. "No one threatens my family." She turned and started heading back to the ballroom.

Henry rushed after her and grabbed her hand. "Don't, Emma, he's not worth it."

"Oh yes he is," Emma growled, she was seething. "He disrespected Regina, insulted you and don't get me started on what he said about Ally." Her eyes flashed in anger. "He most definitely is worth it."

And with that, she snatched her hand out of Henry's, turned on her heel once more and stormed back into the ballroom. She headed straight up to where Xavier was talking to King George. Emma was too angry to note that she was heading towards the man who was in some way her grandfather. She ignored him and turned straight to Xavier.

"Follow me, now," she instructed, her voice low.

She turned away, missing Regina's watchful eyes on her, and headed back to where she'd caught up with Henry and found the hall deserted. She stopped and turned on the King.

"Just who do you think you are?" She demanded.

"Excuse me?" Xavier asked, his voice defensive before he smirked. "Is this about my little brother?" His tone was condescending.

"It's everything about you," Emma snapped. "You're rude, ignorant and misogynistic."

"You're an idiot, girl," he hissed. "You'll never last with Regina. You're in denial about that bastard daughter of hers. She's not yours, it's not possib–"

Emma's coil snapped as she reached out slapped him across the face. The sound echoed across the empty room and his cheek reddened.

" _My_ daughter is not a bastard," Emma yelled. Well, she technically was, as she and Regina weren't married, but that wasn't the issue right now. "And she _is_ mine. Alexandra is my daughter just as much as she is Regina's. Magic is a powerful thing." Her eyes flashed, and she waved her hand, producing a small but significant fireball, proving her statement. "Don't mess with me, Xavier, I'm not scared of you."

Xavier stepped back, his eyes wide with fear. Clearly, he was not aware that Emma had magic. He stuttered, unable to form a sentence. Then suddenly, they weren't alone as Regina rushed in, fearing the worst when Emma and Xavier hadn't returned.

"Emma!" Regina gasped as she rushed over. She reached and out and pressed her hand over the flame, emitting the fire immediately. "What's going on?"

"She's crazy!" Xavier hissed at once, regaining his confidence now that the fire was out.

"ME?!" Emma cried. "It's him! He called Alexandra an abomination!"

"I would never," Xavier cried. "Not my niece's child."

Emma's face flashed in fury at his words. His _lies_. If she didn't already know that he was lying, her lie detector was pinging off the radar.

"Don't lie!" Emma's hand tightened in Regina's to the point where it was almost painful, but there was nothing she could do to stop her.

"You're just a stupid little girl, you don't know what you're getting into." Xavier stepped forward threateningly.

"Try me," Emma snapped. "I'm not stupid and I'll prove it to you. A chess match. If I win, you have to stay away from this Kingdom, never say a negative word against me, Regina, Henry and definitely not Alexandra. If you win–"

"You stay away from my niece," Xavier said darkly, smirking teasingly, expecting Emma to refuse.

Regina pulled on Emma's hand to get to turn and face her. "Don't do this. What if you lose?"

"I won't," Emma promised.

"You could," Regina said quietly.

Emma then turned to Regina, now completely ignoring Xavier who was still awaiting her answer. "You don't believe in me." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. She ignored Regina's floundering and turned back to the King. "You're on. We play tomorrow. If I win, you leave us alone, if you win," she gulped and refused to meet Regina's eye, "I'll leave."

Xavier held out his hand for Emma to shake. "Deal."

"Emma, no!" Regina cried but it was too late.

Emma reached out and shook his hand. "Deal."

Before anything else could be said or done, Emma turned and headed back into the ballroom just to show her face once more before heading back out of the room through the main exit and walked straight out the front door of the castle to Regina's apple tree. She needed to calm down and take a deep breath.

Out of everything that had just happened, what upset her the most was the complete lack of belief Regina had in her. She doubted Emma's intellect and skill. Then again, Regina had never seen Emma play chess, but she should know that Emma would never put so much on the line if she didn't believe she could do it. She'd been playing chess since she was a child as books and boardgames were all she had.

Looking up, she concentrated on the tree, trying to channel the anger she felt when she sliced the branch off. She was just trying to emit it without actually hacking it off this time. It wasn't really working.

Taking a deep breath, she realised that despite being angry with Regina, she just wanted to be near her. She stood up and slowly headed back to the castle, making sure to take more deep breaths along the way.

Finally, she reached the ballroom and saw that the party was still in full swing. Xavier was in the back corner with Petronella. Neither looked particularly happy which Emma was happy about. She scanned the room and her eyes finally landed on Regina who was in conversation with a Queen Emma didn't recognise.

She crossed the room and slipped her arm around Regina's waist. The Queen glanced round and smiled nervously at the blonde. The unknown Queen saw the exchange and excused herself, leaving the two alone.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked quietly. It was a silly question as it was clear that Emma was anything but okay, but it was the first question that sprang to mind.

"I will be," Emma replied. "I just…" she trailed off, trying to think of the right words to say. "It just hurt that you don't believe in me. I wouldn't put so much on the line if I wasn't confident."

"I know, I'm sorry," Regina muttered.

"I've been playing chess since I was tiny," Emma defended. "He's a King, I doubt he'll be any good. I can do this." Emma took both of Regina's hands in hers. "Trust me."

"I do," Regina insisted. She slipped one hand out of Emma's grasp and cupped her cheek. "I love you." She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Emma's lips. "So much and I'm sorry you thought I didn't believe in you. Even if you don't win, which I doubt, nothing will change. You won't leave, I won't allow it. I am the High Queen of the Realm, I override his authority."

Finally, Emma smiled. She hadn't thought of that. As long as that was placed in the contract, which she was sure Xavier would have drawn up, she would be fine.

"I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you," Emma said with a small laugh in her voice. She pulled the Queen tighter to her, ignoring the eyes she could feel on them, and kissed her fully. "I love you."

Regina then announced that the ball was over, she was too tired and Alexandra would wake up any moment needing to be fed. The stewards and guards led the guests to where they needed to be. The ones who lived in a neighbouring Kingdom left the castle and the others who had had to travel further were led to their chambers for the evening. This included Xavier and Petronella.

As the two left, Xavier made sure to glare in Emma's direction before smirking. Expressions that Emma matched. Petronella pulled on her husband's sleeve and practically dragged him out of the room.

Once the room had cleared, Emma pulled Regina close to her and flicked her wrist, transporting them back to their bedroom. Janey smiled as they appeared, completely used to magic as she'd been working for Regina for years.

"Good evening, your Majesty, your Highness," she greeted. "The Princess has been perfect. She slept the entire time."

"Thank you, Janey," Emma replied before bidding the girl goodnight.

Just as Janey left the room, Alexandra started to whimper, clearly recognising that her mothers were back. When she started to cry, Emma immediately recognised it as her "I'm hungry" cry but she knew she needed to hold her daughter close before passing her over to Regina.

She pulled Alexandra to her chest and kissed her head and started to rock her side to side. She didn't stop crying but hearing her and holding her was a comfort.

Regina crossed the room and wrapped one arm around Emma and the other behind Alexandra's head. At her presence, Emma passed the baby over to the Queen. They then walked over the bed and Regina settled down and brought the baby to her chest for Ally to feed.

"What a night," Regina sighed.

Emma half smiled. "Tell me about it. First Maleficent and then your uncle." She sighed dramatically as she flopped back on the bed, missing Regina and the baby before rearranging herself and gazing up at the Queen. "I still cannot believe that Maleficent didn't curse her."

"Why would she?" Regina asked. "We didn't part in anger. I'm pretty sure she made an entrance because she was hurt that she didn't get invited, and she likes to be dramatic."

The blonde looked guilty. "I'm sorry," she muttered quietly. "That was my fault. Though in my defence, we did decide to only invite the royals and she isn't a Queen or Princess."

"I guess, but you can't deny that it makes sense."

Emma then yawned. "I do want to ask you about it all, but I'm just too tired." She shuffled in the bed, still fully dressed, and her eyes shut. She was asleep in seconds.

Regina couldn't even pretend to be angry that the blonde had fallen asleep on her. Instead, she patiently waited for Alexandra to finish before she burped her and placed her back in her crib. She leant down and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight, my darling," she whispered and watched as Alexandra's eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep.

She then crossed the room and took off her dress before tackling Emma's. It was difficult with the position Emma was lying it, but she eventually succeeded. When they were both finally undressed, Regina slipped into the bed and blew out the candles. She settled in bed and Emma automatically shifted in her sleep, wrapping her arms around the Queen. Regina smiled as she settled into Emma's embrace. After such a crazy evening, she let herself relax and fall asleep.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up the next morning, she felt a rush of emotions that she couldn't pull apart and analyse with the impact of them all. She started to shake and drawing her breath was difficult. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't find her voice.

Then all of a sudden, she felt warm arms wrap around her and pull her close. Her initial reaction was to stiffen and pull away but as she managed to take a breath, she breathed in the familiar smell and she soon relaxed.

"Regina," she breathed, pulling the brunette closer to her.

"I've got you," the Queen reassured her, stroking her back. "Deep breaths, my love." Regina had only just woken up herself when she saw the blonde show the starting signs of a panic attack. She didn't know what to do but did what came natural, and that was to cuddle the blonde close.

"I'm sorry," Emma muttered once her breathing was under control. It took a few minutes, but she was able to start breathing properly. She could still feel all the mixed emotions, but she was starting to dissect them. "I've not done that in a while."

The Queen only smiled softly in agreement. The two had been sharing a bed together for just shy of a year now and she'd never witness the blonde wake up like that.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina offered. Just as she said that, the tell-tale signs of Alexandra waking up interrupted them. "Hold that thought." Regina untangled herself from Emma, much to the blonde's slight dismay, and she picked up the baby and brought her back to bed for her first feed of the day.

"I think it was just everything that happened last night," Emma sighed. "I still can't quite put my finger on all the emotions, but anger and determination were definitely there. I'll try and figure the other ones out later. For now though, I really need to concentrate on this chess match with your uncle."

Remembering the doubt Emma had felt at her words like night, Regina reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "You can do it," she said and she watched Emma shift from looking anxious to confident at her words.

"If you believe in me, I can do anything," she admitted.

"Good, because you're not going anywhere, Emma, I won't allow it," she said before slowly smirking, "your Queen won't allow it and when you win, you may get more than you think." She winked and Emma's mouth dropped open at the Queen's words.

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded and swallowed. Now there was a lot more on the line.

oOoOo

Before they knew it, Emma and Regina were making their way to the chosen hall for the chess game. Henry was on babysitting duty and would only come in if it was an emergency so that Emma could concentrate on the game and so that he didn't have to see his brother.

Xavier and Petronella walked in slowly with a member of their guard and Emma and Regina were followed by Khan and one of Regina's senior advisors who would draw up the contract.

"So today King Xavier and Princess Emma play for the consequences that the King must never return to Queen Regina's Kingdom should he lose, and the Princess must leave the Kingdom should she lose," the advisor announced as was planned. Emma and Xavier then both signed the contract before the advisor added, "Of course, as the High Queen of the Realm, Queen Regina will have the lasting word on the matter."

"What!" Xavier cried. "You tricked me."

"It's written in the contract, Uncle," Regina said with a shrug, "and in the laws of the Realm. You should have known this."

"Anyway," Emma said, cutting the Queen off and preventing the King to interrupt. "We signed the contract and we have a game to play. I'm ready, are you?"

If looks could kill, Emma was sure she'd have dropped dead in seconds with the glare Xavier was serving her. He stretched and Emma shook her limbs and cracked her neck, getting into the zone.

The advisor brought over the already set up chess board.

"As Princess Emma is of the White Kingdom, she will begin," he announced.

Emma missed the way Regina shivered at the fact that the Kingdom was still being referred to as the White Kingdom after her late husband as she was too focussed.

Regina and Petronella took a seat just behind their partners and their guards stood over their shoulders with the advisor sitting beside the table as the adjudicator.

"Let the game being."


	28. Chapter 28

Emma took a deep breath and reached out, almost surprised at the confidence she suddenly felt. Her hand didn't shake as expected. She heard Regina's breath intake behind her which she thought would put her off but instead, she felt better knowing that her love was behind her, supporting her.

Slowly, she reached for her first pawn and moved it forward two spaces. The game had begun.

Xavier matched her decision, moving a pawn forward. Emma then shifted her Queen diagonally until it rested at the end of the board and was diagonal to the King should the pawn in front be moved. She wouldn't touch her Queen now as long as she could keep it there without interference.

The game continued at a rather fast pace, but it was clear that the King either wasn't thinking as clearly as he should be or that he just wasn't very good at chess. His moves were clumsy, as if he was just trying to remember what each piece did and not think of the consequences. Before long, Emma had taken his Queen, both of his knights, a bishop, a rook and four of his pawns whereas he'd only managed to take a couple of Emma's pawns and a bishop that she'd not realised was left vulnerable.

Throughout the match, she kept her eyes on the board, not wanting to be distracted by the people and surroundings. She never let her focus shift which always helped her win a match. In the foster homes when she was younger, she was often found playing alone, swapping the board over, trying to outsmart herself. She'd figured out the best combinations and how to see inside the mind of the other person as she played herself. Her main aim, aside from winning, was to get one of her pawns to the other side of the board and promote it to a Queen. With two, she would be unstoppable. Especially against Xavier who was floundering with every step.

She alternated her moves between attacks and sly shifts of her pawn. The King didn't seem to notice and before long, she smirked as her pawn reached the far end of the board.

"I'll promote it to a Queen," Emma said confidently.

The advisor nodded and allowed her to change the chess piece into a Queen with a wave of her hand. With that, she risked a glance up at her opponent and saw that the King was sweating desperately and looked panicked.

With a satisfied smirk, Emma's eyes returned to the board and took in just why the King was nervous. He had only four pieces left on the board, three pawns and his King. With Emma's new Queen and the fact that her original Queen hadn't moved from being diagonal to the King, Xavier's King was very exposed as his pawns were pretty useless against all of Emma's pieces.

"Check," Emma said confidently.

The only move the King could do was shift his King diagonal one space so that it was no longer in front of each Queen. Emma could shift either Queen to follow the King but that would lead to a lot of back and forth between the two pieces. Quickly, she scanned the board. Xavier's King was in the only square where it could not be taken. Smirking, Emma found her rook standing strong just where she needed it. She picked it up and moved it in its signature L shape until it was just in the perfect position to take the King and with that, the game was clearly won. If he shifted the King back, he would be taken by a Queen, if he shifted forward, he would be taken by the other Queen. If he moved the King diagonally, he would be taken by her rook, which was now in line with the King as the knight had been moved, and if he didn't move, it would be taken by the knight.

Confidently, Emma smirked. "Checkmate."

"This is not possible!" Xavier cried, standing up in anger. "You're just a stupid girl."

Emma's eyes flashed. "I just proved to you that I'm anything but. You lost, Xavier, you know the rules of the game."

Xavier glanced to where Regina was sitting. "But as High Queen, Regina can overrule this," he said, his voice showing a bit of hope, but it was to no avail.

Slowly, Regina stood and made her way over to her uncle, a sickly-sweet smile on her lips. "You're right, I could overrule this," she mused, "but why would I when this is exactly what I want too? You've never been kind to my father, nor to me, and after what you said about my wife and daughter yesterday, you should be lucky you're still alive."

She turned to Khan and nodded and the captain jumped into action. He snapped his fingers and three other guards rushed into the room who pulled Xavier out of the room. Petronella glanced toward the door where her husband had been dragged away before looking back at her niece.

"Think about what you're doing, Regina," Petronella said rather calmly. Emma was impressed. "He's _family_."

"He's no family of mine," Regina spat in distaste. She then looked up at her aunt, and her face and voice softened. "You're still welcome here, Aunt Nella, but if I never see Xavier again, it'll be too soon."

Petronella gulped and nodded. She reached forward and hugged her niece close before pulling back. She took in a deep breath and shifted her spine, standing straight and regal.

"Goodbye, my darling niece," she said before turning to Emma. "Look after her."

"I will," Emma promised and with that, Petronella followed her husband out of the room.

When it was just the two left, Regina rushed over to Emma and pulled her into her arms. "That was rather incredible! I'm so proud of you."

"I told you I could do it," Emma said but she couldn't help the bright smile at Regina's words before she smirked. "I won, and I believe it's time to collect my prize."

Regina's eyes flashed and glazed over at the seductive tone of Emma's voice. "Then let me give it to you." She pulled Emma close and pressed her lips against the blonde's, tongues meeting almost immediately.

Breathless, Emma pulled back but held onto Regina tighter before flicking her wrist and transporting them to their bedroom. As soon as they were there, she flicked her wrist once more and they were both naked.

"Let me make love to you," Emma whispered before sealing their lips together, her arms wrapping around her body, enjoying the Queen's soft skin beneath her fingers.

"No, let me reward you," Regina said instead.

Emma's eyes darkened at her words and allowed the Queen to push her onto the bed. Regina looked down on the blonde, her chest was rising rapidly and her legs were spread from how she fell. She looked delicious.

Slowly, Regina crawled on the bed and over Emma's body until they were face to face. She pressed their lips together once more for a ferocious and passionate kiss that was all teeth and tongues. Emma opened her legs further so that Regina could fit between them and get even closer. Without the baby bump in the way, Emma could pull Regina tightly against her body. As much as she loved feeling Alexandra growing, having Regina this close again was magical.

The two had had hot make-out sessions a plenty since Ally was born but something just felt different this time. There was an added edge to it. Emma had missed this closeness between the two of them and Regina wanted to reward her love and make up for her appearance of disbelief the night before.

As Regina broke away from the kiss and started kissing and licking down Emma's neck, she felt Emma's short fingernails gripping deliciously into her back, silently asking for more. Regina happily gave. She added sharp nips to Emma's pulse point before soothing over it with her tongue mere seconds afterwards. Every nip was rewarded with a sharp gasp from Emma or a buck of her hips which pressed indirectly against the Queen.

Regina shifted her leg and pressed her thigh between Emma's spread legs and couldn't help the moan when she felt just how turned on and wet the blonde was.

"Someone's missed this," Regina teased softly before slowing rotating her hips and pressing against Emma's wet core.

"You have no idea," Emma gasped out, sighing breathlessly at the light contact. "More, baby, please!" She begged making Regina smirk even more.

The Queen slid her leg up and down slightly harder against Emma, feeling just how slick she was. Emma bit her lip, enjoying the new pressure. Automatically, the blonde moved her hips in sync with the Queen, riding her leg as best she could from her position.

Slowly but surely, Emma could feel her oncoming orgasm threatening to crest and Regina saw the tell-tale signs on the blonde's face as her eyes fluttered shut, plus the fact her legs were tensing between her and just as Emma was about to be lost to the pleasure, the Queen pulled back.

"W-what?" Emma stammered, her eyes flashing open in sheer shock.

"Did you really think the first time I made you come after the baby would be from you riding my leg?" Regina asked, her eyebrow raised.

Emma gulped. "I did think but then it felt so good that I didn't mind."

The Queen laughed at just how adorable and cute her love was. She leant forward and kissed her before trailing kissed down her jaw to her ear. She nipped her lobe harshly before soothing it over again. "The first time I make you come will be with my mouth," she whispered before licking the shell of Emma's ear. She felt and heard Emma moan underneath her.

Pulling back, Regina started kissing her way down Emma's body, paying special attention to each breast and nipple before swirling her tongue in her navel, something she found Emma adored, before reaching her prize.

Instead of immediately digging in, Regina nipped the crease where Emma's leg met her sex which caused the blonde to buck directly into Regina's face which she didn't mind at all. Slowly, Regina licked her way around Emma's now dripping sex, missing everywhere the blonde wanted her to be. Gradually her circles diminished before suddenly licking Emma from her sopping hole straight to her clit, her hot mouth enveloping the small bundle of nerves and sucking on it twice before letting go with a pop.

"Jesus!" Emma gasped unashamedly weaving her fingers through Regina's hair and pulling her back to her sex.

"Not Jesus, just me," Regina responded but it was mostly muffled from her place between Emma's thighs. The vibrations of her words just shot through Emma instead of the blonde taking in what the Queen had actually said.

Emma simply moaned at the response and pulled Regina's head closer, her free hand already squeezing a neglected nipple.

Reinga then focussed once more. She trailed her tongue teasingly through Emma's folds, pausing every now and then to suck one of her lips into her mouth. She drank down all of Emma as she feasted before she returned once more to where Emma needed her to be.

She wrapped her lips around Emma's clit and pressed the flat of her tongue against it, flicking it slowly, gradually getting quicker, before using the tip of her tongue in rapid movements. Her hand slipped up Emma's leg and soon two fingers were pumping just as quickly inside the blonde. Within seconds of the addition of Regina's fingers, the blonde was cresting, calling Regina's name out to the entire castle as she rode Regina for all she was worth. She pulled the brunette's head even closer to her making it hard to breath, but the Queen didn't care. She could no longer move her fingers as they were clamped by Emma but she still suckled Emma's clit, letting her ride out her orgasm.

After what felt like hours for the blonde, she finally relaxed enough so that Regina could move. The Queen took in a deep breath once she was free.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quickly, pulling Regina up to kiss her. "I didn't mean to suffocate you, but fucking hell, that was amazing."

The Queen smirked before pulling Emma in for another kiss, both moaning as they swapped Emma's come between their tongues.

"You're amazing," Regina said once they broke apart. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's in the past," Emma replied, cutting off the brunette. "And you've partially made up for it." The blonde smirked and Regina raised her eyebrow.

"That's only the beginning," she husked, catching Emma's drift.

"That may be so, but for now," her eyes flashed with lust, "it's my turn."

And with that, Emma flipped the two over so that she was on top. She was a little cautious of how to proceed as she didn't want to hurt Regina as she had pushed a baby out only six weeks ago, but the Queen wasn't as cautious. She rotated her hips beneath the blonde.

"Emma, please," the Queen husked. "Fuck me."

At the curse word, something inside the blonde snapped. She pressed two soft kisses against Regina's nipples, which were still too tender with breastfeeding, before slipping down the bed and sucking her clit into her mouth. There was no need for foreplay right now. She needed to make her Queen come and she needed to do it quickly.

She alternated between sucking and licking the Queen's clit, always mixing it up so she didn't get used to one. She'd suck three time, then lick rapidly before slowing it all down and using the flat of her tongue for a long swipe. Every time, Regina would buck her hips into Emma's face.

When the blonde glanced up, she saw the Queen's eyes on her and she was biting her lip. Her hands were clutching their silk sheets for dear life and Emma couldn't help the moan that slipped out of her mouth. The vibration causing Regina let go and cry Emma's name.

Emma brought one arm up and slowly slipped one finger in to the first knuckle, testing the boundaries. Regina's hips immediately met her and she slowly thrust her finger in deeper.

"More, Em," Regina gasped out and Emma slowly slipped a second finger inside. She pumped thrice before finding the perfect place inside the Queen and started moving her fingers in a come-hither motion against her front wall and Regina sighed in pleasure.

Realising she was neglecting Regina's clit due to her distraction with her fingers, Emma redoubled her efforts, enveloping the small bundle of nerves between her lips. She suckled hard and fast, matching the speed with her fingers and in seconds, Regina was screaming Emma's name. Her thighs clamped around the blonde's head, but she didn't care as she let the Queen crest.

As soon as Regina started to relax, Emma smirked into her sex and began furiously lapping up the Queen's come and removed her fingers and slipped her tongue inside, pumping furiously. She then slipped two fingers through Regina's juices before resting a finger either side of Regina's clit and pinched together causing Regina to come a second time, still so hyped up from her first orgasm that the second took her by surprise and still Emma didn't let up. She swapped once more, her fingers pushing deep inside the Queen and her lips wrapping around her clit and barely thirty seconds later, Regina was cresting for the third time.

"Enough!" She cried as Emma showed no sign of showing. "Kiss me," she begged and Emma scrambled up the bed and pressed her lips against the Queen, sharing her royal juices between the two of them. "This was meant to be your reward," Regina practically whined.

"It was," Emma reassured her. "You're my reward, Regina." She kissed the Queen once more. "I love you."

The Queen smiled. "I love you too, my darling." She kissed Emma again softly. "But don't think your reward is over just yet." Her eyes flashed with lust as she started making her way back down Emma's body and Emma forgot how to breath.

oOoOo

After a couple of rounds of love making, the two fell asleep in each other's arms, just to be awoken not ten minutes later by a knock on the door that was accompanied by a very loud crying baby.

Immediately, Regina shot up, slipping on her gown as she rushed to the door. Throwing it open, she was met with her father looking panicked and a very red faced, teary eyed baby.

"What's happened?" She asked. "What's wrong with her?"

She picked her baby up out her father's arms and started swaying her side to side.

"I'm not sure," Henry replied, wiping his brow. "She just wouldn't stop crying. I changed her, fed her, cuddled her and nothing. I didn't want to disturb the two of you," he looked at her knowingly and Regina blushed, avoiding her father's eyes, "but I couldn't think of anything else to calm her than to bring her here."

Now Alexandra was in her mother's arms, she was starting to calm down.

"Would you look at that," Henry mused. "She clearly just wanted her mother."

Regina smiled and met her father's eye once more. "So, it seems." She pulled Ally closer to her. "Hey there, Alexandra, did you just want Mommy? I missed you too." She pressed a kiss to the baby's head. "We'll take her now. Thank you for looking after her."

"Are you sure?" Henry asked. "You and Emma haven't had much alone time since Ally was born. We were doing well until the last moment." He reached out and ruffled Ally's hair. "I'm sure we'll be okay from now."

"No, it's fine," Regina assured him. She rocked Ally side to side. "Besides, I miss her."

"Then I shall retire back to my chambers," Henry said with a smile. "I'll see you later. Bye Emma!" He called and they heard a faint call of goodbye from the blonde. Henry leant forward and kissed Alexandra on her forehead before kissing Regina on her cheek.

"Bye, Daddy." Regina lifted Ally's hand in a small wave. "Bye bye, Grandpa!" She said pretending to speak for Ally. Henry smiled and waved before leaving.

Regina returned to the bedroom. "Look who I found," she greeted.

She crossed the room and reached the bed, she sat down bedside the blonde and kissed her softly. Emma sat up and reached out, stroking Ally's hair. "Hello, Princess. Have you missed your mommies?" Ally made a babble of a noise which Emma took as an affirmative. "Good, I missed you too, baby."

Regina smiled at the scene. "You're such a dork, it's adorable," she mused.

"Why thank you." Emma bowed her head, smirking as Regina laughed.

"You just proved my point."

Emma simply smiled before looking back at Ally who was starting to yawn. Regina automatically stood and put the baby down for a nap. As she returned to the bed, she saw Emma had shifted in bed and had slipped her gown on. She was no longer smiling, as if her wall had gone up. Regina was completely baffled by what had changed in the last two minutes.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching out and cupping Emma's face.

"What happened between you and Maleficent?" Emma asked instead, ignoring Regina's question. "Why was she so kind to Ally?" Her brow furrowed. "What did she mean by she'd never do anything to spite you?"

Regina sighed, she'd been waiting for this conversation. She sat back on the bed but left a space between her and Emma.

"It's like I said a couple of weeks ago," she began. "Mal and I were lovers for a while. She wanted more but I didn't because as much as I hated the King, I had a duty to perform. At that point, I knew I was pregnant." She sighed and looked to the where Alexandra was sleeping, unable to help herself, before looking back at Emma. "We decided to end things mutually. I guess we still have a soft spot for each other and promised to keep an eye out for each other. She was my light when I was in a very dark place." She sighed and reached forward and laced her fingers with Emma's. "But please don't worry, I just see her as a friend now, a mentor. She's in my past. You," she squeezed Emma's hand, "are my present and my future. She has my best interest at heart, just like you. You're actually a lot alike." Emma raised her eyebrow and Regina blushed realising that that wasn't quite the best thing to say. "But it's you I want to be with. It's you who I love and who I share our darling Alexandra with. Whatever happens, it's you and me, Emma. Always."

Finally, Emma smiled. She pulled on Regina's hand until they were close together. She nuzzled their noses together before kissing her softly. "I love you and I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Regina said quietly. "We all have a past. You clearly have one otherwise we wouldn't have Henry." Regina raised her eyebrow and Emma blushed. "Mal is just misunderstood, I'll invite her to dinner and you can make your own opinion. It'll be fine. You'll see."

A dinner with her love and her ex, Emma mused, what could possibly go wrong?


	29. Chapter 29

Regina wrote to Maleficent the next day to invite her for dinner. Emma was extremely tempted to intercept the letter and set it alight so that the dragon would never receive it, but she dreaded to think of the consequences should Regina find out that she did, so she didn't. She couldn't figure out why she was so against meeting Maleficent properly or simply having a conversation with her. She thought it was perhaps because of the gift she had bestowed upon Alexandra. The blonde had been so convinced that Maleficent was going to storm in and curse the baby which set Emma on edge. Then she did the complete opposite and Emma was struggling to see why she would unless she had an ulterior motive. The motive mostly likely being Regina herself.

Emma kept asking Regina small questions about her time with Maleficent over the next few days in an attempt to figure out why the dragon had been so kind to the baby; surely something was up with that? But Regina hadn't really been able to clear anything up. She'd simply state that they parted amicably and had each other's backs and would do each other favours. Just like when Maleficent captured Prince Charming all those months ago to prevent him from saving Snow when Regina had her locked up in the dungeons. Emma soon gave up asking.

A couple of days after Regina had sent her request to the dragon, she received her reply. Fortunately for Emma, Maleficent was busy for the next week according to the letter Regina but she would be delighted to join a week from today.

The two were sitting at the dining room table over breakfast. They had finished their meal and Janey had brought in the post and took Alexandra to her play room while Regina and Emma finished their food.

"So, she's definitely coming?" Emma asked after Regina had finished reading the letter to her.

The Queen sighed. "Yes, darling," she replied, rather condescendingly which ruffled Emma's feathers even further on the matter. "I said I was inviting her. Why are you so against this?"

Emma was silent for a few moments, trying to figure it out but she just couldn't put her finger on it. "I honestly don't know," she said eventually. When she saw Regina was about to ask something else on the matter, Emma quickly changed the subject. "We still need to figure out when Hook can meet Ally, he really wants to see her."

That was true. Emma had gone to see him a couple of weeks ago, just before the announcement ball. He naturally wasn't invited and as Regina wouldn't let him into the castle, Emma had gone to see him. He was fine but was going a little stir crazy with having to hide on the Jolly Roger. Although he was starting to get a little worried as he knew his younger self was going to be setting sail any day and he didn't want to still be on the ship when that happened as he knew he wouldn't be back until just before the curse was cast.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You would change the subject to him," she sighed.

So far, the Queen had rebuffed every single one of Emma's requests for Hook's visit as she didn't want that man anywhere near her daughter, no matter what Emma said about the fact that he'd changed. The idea of having someone so selfish and down right disgusting, in her words, near her daughter made her shiver in discomfort.

"Because you won't give me an answer," Emma snapped, losing her temper a little bit. They never argued, not really, but whenever Maleficent or Hook were mentioned, both seemed to go on their defence. "He got dragged into this mess because of me, I owe him. Besides, he's my _friend_ ," she emphasised the word to prove her point, "and I want him to meet our daughter."

"He wants more than friendship," Regina hissed. "You said so yourself a few months ago."

Emma sighed exasperatedly and pinched the top of her nose to try and stem her anger. "He doesn't anymore! He accepts that I am with _you_ ," she reached out and took hold of Regina's hands in hers, "that I am completely head over heels in love with you, but if you don't believe me, maybe I should just get out of here while I can."

With that, she let go of Regina's hands and pushed her chair back. She stood up and turned on her heel and, without looking back at the Queen, she swiftly left the room, emphasising her point. She felt horrible with doing it, but she needed to get her point across to the Queen. She needed her to start believing in her and trusting her no matter what else was going on. First it was the chess match and her intellect, and now this with Hook. It was driving her up the wall.

As per usual, she walked straight out to the castle and sat in front of Regina's apple tree as it seemed to be her calming place. It was there that she silently fumed at what had just happened. She laid down on her back on the stone bench. She placed her hands on her face before rubbing her temples.

"She's going to be the death of me," she groaned quietly to herself.

She had no idea how long she sat there for, trying to just calm herself down but there were so many thoughts going around her head. It wasn't just the fact that Regina wouldn't let Hook see Alexandra, or the fact that she wanted Maleficent to come to dinner, but there was always the quiet niggle at the back of her head that told her that she still had to figure out how to get home. The guards had reported that Snow and Charming were planning to make a move against King George and Emma knew that once they succeeded with that, they would be getting married and she would be born. It was imperative that Regina threaten to cast her curse at their wedding. Right now, she was no where near the Evil Queen that needed to cast that curse. Time was running out and Emma wasn't getting anywhere close to figuring out what the trigger was.

She sighed frustratedly again and sat up.

"You know, when I'm angry, I throw things," said a voice beside her.

"Jesus!" She cried in shock, unaware that she had company.

Looking round, she saw Henry sitting next to her. He had his fingers linked together and he was looking up at the tree as if it held all the answers in the world.

"My grandfather planted this tree back where I used to live, and Regina had it brought here when she married the King. She rarely ever comes out here now, you know?" Henry commented as if he hadn't given Emma a huge shock. "The tree brings too many sad memories for her about her first love. It's odd that something that means so much to her also means so much to you." He looked round at Emma. "I wonder why that is?"

"I'm not sure," Emma said quietly. "I guess for me, it was the first thing I saw that I was familiar with," Emma revealed. "She brought the tree with her when she cast the curse. I ripped a branch off with a chainsaw when I was angry with her, that one." She pointed to the branch in question. "We were arguing over Henry, which is what we always did at the beginning, and I knew the tree meant a lot to her, so I attacked it. I believe I said I was apple picking when she asked me what I was doing." She laughed humourlessly at the memory.

"You and Regina really didn't get on when you first met, did you?" Henry realised, his eyebrows raised in shock.

"Not in the slightest," Emma sighed. "That's why I'm still surprised all this is happening. Surely if she remembered anything at all, she wouldn't hate me when she saw me again after so many years. Something big is going to happen, Henry, and the thought of it terrifies me."

"So instead of spending all the time you have together, you're fighting and keeping your distance from each other?" Henry said, his eyebrow arched knowingly.

Emma knew what he was doing. Henry was lovely, but he could also be manipulative. Not necessarily in a bad way, but just so you would feel bad and do the right thing.

"She won't let Hook meet Alexandra," Emma said eventually. "He's my friend and I want to share my child with him, but she's not okay with that."

"Just like you're not okay with Regina wanting Maleficent to meet Alexandra and you properly, they're just friends?" Henry reasoned.

"It's different!" Emma snapped again. She stood up and took a few steps away from Henry, wanting a little air despite being outside. She crossed her arms over her chest before lifting her left arm to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They were together. They _loved_ each other. What if Maleficent wants her back and that's why she's being so kind to Regina?" she turned around to face Henry again. "As if trying to prove that she can be sweet to Alexandra and Regina will just leave me and fall for her again? On the odd occasion that Regina spoke about Maleficent in the future, she always had a softness in her voice, a hint of regret. What if it's because she wanted to be with her? True Love doesn't have to be endgame, Henry."

"Emma," Henry said softly. "You know that's not the case." He opened his arm out. "Come here."

Slowly, Emma walked back over to the bench and sat beside Henry. He wrapped his arm around her and she leant into his embraced. This was probably the first time they had done this and it was a new feeling for Emma. She'd had the odd fatherly hug from David, but this felt different. There was something about Henry that just made her feel safe.

"Regina loves you more than anything," Henry reassured her. He looked up at the tree. "More than Daniel which I thought would never happen. The fact that the two of you have Alexandra proves that your love is true. Yes, Regina used to be with Maleficent, but there's a reason they broke up. If Maleficent wants to get back together with Regina, so be it. It doesn't mean that Regina wants Maleficent." He took a deep breath. "It's exactly like you and Hook. Just because he wanted to be with you, didn't mean you wanted to be with him. You're both cautious about the same thing and at the end of the day, you both just want each other."

Emma looked at her hands, weaving her fingers together. "I guess," she said quietly before looking up at Regina. "Have you had the same conversation with Regina?"

Henry smiled. "I may have, but then she was called into a meeting and I came out to find you. I wasn't sure where you would go but at least now I'll be able to find you sooner if this happens again."

"This is the first place I come to," Emma revealed. "In fact, this is where I was the night you got ill." She sighed. "How long is Regina's meeting?"

"I'm not sure, why?" Henry asked.

Emma shrugged. "Just thinking if I should probably go and talk to her, but if she's not free, I'll go find Ally and allow Janey to get on with her other jobs."

The two stood up and slowly headed into the castle together. Just as Henry was about to turn off to his chambers, Emma called out to him. "Thank you," she said softly when he turned. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you here."

Henry smiled softly. "I'll always be here for you, Emma."

 _If only you were_ , Emma said in her head. She knew that whenever she went back to the future, she would never see him again. She smiled sadly before heading back up to the castle.

oOoOo

Regina ended up being in her meeting for the rest of the afternoon. It lasted well into the evening, leaving Emma to hang out with Ally for the day which she adored. She loved seeing Ally grow. She still couldn't smile or laugh but Emma could tell she was having fun. Well, she couldn't know for sure, but she hoped!

By the time Regina came out of her meeting, she was completely drained. Emma had just put Alexandra down for a nap and was about to see to some dinner. She looked up when Regina entered the room.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Regina froze, half expecting Emma to be at dinner already, not to be stood in their bedroom. "Hi," she said softly.

Emma frowned as she realised the Queen was keeping her distance. They both hesitated before speaking.

"I'm sorry–"

"I need to apologise–"

Emma couldn't help the smile that broke out as they both spoke at the same time. They both stepped forward until they met in the middle of their bedroom. Emma reached forward and cupped Regina's face softly in her hands.

"I'm so sorry," Regina muttered. "I do trust you, I promise. It's _him_ I don't trust."

"I'm the same with Maleficent, I don't trust her," Emma said, "but I do trust you. My god, I trust you more than anything. If she's your friend, I'll honour that."

"If you want the new Hook to meet Alexandra, I shouldn't stand in your way, but I do have some conditions." Regina said.

"Of course, you do," Emma teased.

"I love you," Regina whispered, ignoring Emma's tease.

"I love you too." Emma leant in and kissed Regina softly, allowing her tongue to brush playfully against Regina's.

The Queen hummed in content, matching Emma's passion. She was about to break off the kiss to trail kisses down Emma's neck when the blonde's stomach rumbled. She pulled back chuckling. "And that's the cue to get you some food."

Emma blushed. "I missed lunch as I lost track of time with Ally," she admitted.

Regina stepped back and took Emma's hand. "Then let's get dinner."

oOoOo

The next day, Emma was on her way to meet Hook. They couldn't just call each other with the lack of phones, but they did have a code. When it hit dusk, Emma would shoot a flash of red into the sky which called out to Hook that she would meet him the next day. If she followed the red up with a shot of green, he would have to come to the castle, if was followed by blue, she would meet him in the nearby village. The previous night, she had sent blue sparks to indicate that she would meet him. Regina hadn't wanted Hook to come straight to the castle without Emma giving him the "rules", it was one of the conditions required to allow Hook to see Ally.

As Emma was the significant other of the Queen, she couldn't be seen walking through the village alone looking like herself. Therefore, she cast the disillusion charm on herself before she left. Should anyone see her, it would just look like the trick of the light.

The walk didn't take her very long and before long, she found what she was looking for. Hook was leaning against a tree, staring out into the distance. He saw the glimmer of light and smiled, realising it was Emma. Emma pulled on his hook and led him into the forest. A couple of spells later, and Emma had conjured up two comfortable arm chairs and she was visible to the pirate. She had also cast another disillusion spell over the area so no one would see a pirate speaking to the Princess.

Once that was all done, she stepped towards Hook. "Hello," she greeted with a smile before giving him a quick hug. Now he'd stopped trying to grope her inappropriately, she didn't mind.

"Hello, love," he greeted before taking a seat. "How's motherhood treating you the second time round?"

Emma couldn't help the smile at the mention of her daughter. "It's wonderful but also weird. Like, I never expected to feel so attached to her when I didn't carry her. I adore her though, she's amazing."

"How was the announcement ball?" He asked. He knew all about Emma's trepidation regarding the event.

"Ugh, it was, well, interesting to say the least," Emma revealed as she flopped down on the other chair. "It ended with an argument between me and Regina's uncle which is all sorted now but there was drama from the beginning of the night."

"What aren't you telling me, Swan?" He enquired as he took in Emma's frown. He reached out and squeezed her knee reassuringly.

"Maleficent," she sighed.

The captain's brows furrowed in confusion. "What about her?"

"She turned up out of the blue," Emma began before telling Hook about everything, from the ball to Regina and her past relationship with the dragon, along with her worries about everything.

"Swan, you're being stupid," Hook said with a laugh. "You know that Regina adores you, well this one anyway." Emma raised her eyebrow at the comment making the pirate laugh more. "You don't have anything to worry about regarding Regina anyway. I'd probably worry about the fact we're still stuck here." He sighed, no longer finding the situation funny. "I overheard yesterday that they're setting sail next week. I'm going to have nowhere to stay."

"You'll stay at the castle," Emma said certainly. Yes, she'd not mentioned it to Regina yet, but she wasn't going to leave him stranded. "We might have to make you look a little different and give you a fake hand or something, but I need you close by should we have a chance to get back."

"Have you figured that out yet?" He asked. "It's been almost a year since we fell through the portal, you have you magic back _and_ the baby has been born."

Emma shuffled in her seat in guilt. She hadn't told him about the trigger yet, she'd not found the right time.

"Swan?"

"I don't know everything," she said quickly, "but I do know something." Hook looked curiously at her. "There is nothing we can do to get back but wait for a trigger, but don't ask me what it is because I don't know. That's all I've found out. You'll have to bear with me until we figure out what it is." She sighed and paused, allowing Hook to take in what she said. "Besides, that's not what I'm here to talk about. Regina's rules about Alexandra." She rolled her eyes and Hook laughed.

"What rules?" Hook asked. "Don't hurt her and don't let her near my hook, what else could there be?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "It's Regina, of course there's more." She chuckled before continuing Regina's rules.

Along with not hurting the baby or allowing her near the hook, the pirate was also not allowed to hold her for more than a few minutes. He definitely wasn't allowed to turn up drunk or even smell of rum or anything other alcohol. He had to be clean and couldn't swear. Most importantly, he couldn't make any jokes out of the situation, though Emma didn't really know what joke he could make about it all.

"Anything else madam wishes?" Hook asked with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

Emma laughed. "I think that's about it. So, you're expected to arrive tomorrow after lunch. I'll come fetch you from Henry's chambers like last time."

"Gotcha," Hook nodded, showing her understood.

The two then stood up as Emma needed to get back to the castle. Regina didn't want her staying out long and she could catch up with the captain more tomorrow.

Emma removed the spell on the two of them and headed back to the castle, completely forgetting to recast the disillusion spell on herself.

On she walked, not particularly paying any attention to her surroundings. She simply wanted to get back to the castle as quickly as she could as the weather was starting to turn. As she walked, she saw a sheet of fabric on the floor. On a closer inspection, she realised it wasn't just fabric but a cloak. A red cloak. A very familiar red cloak that should never be on its own. Panic shot through her body. If this was lying here on its own, where was its owner?

Suddenly, there was a growl and a low hiss. Looking up, Emma saw the familiar markings and the flash of eyes before the wolf rushed forward and pounced on her, knocking her to the ground.

She couldn't help the scream. "Ruby!"

 _A/N: I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who as favourited, followed and reviewed this story so far. I cannot say how much it means to me. I also want to give a shout out to the wonderful_ _MSAllySomerev_ _a_ _as I wouldn't be able to have written any of this story without her, so thank you so much, Als!_

 _As always, please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think will happen next. I can't wait to read your ideas! Love, Emss x_


	30. Chapter 30

All of a sudden, Emma found herself lying flat on her back, gravel pressing into her spine, with the dark wolf pushing her down, her large paws on her shoulders. Red breathed heavily on top of the blonde, a growl deep in her throat.

Emma gulped in fear. "Red, it's okay," she croaked out, realising it was best to use her correct name this time as the wolf wouldn't be referred to as Ruby for a long time. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She glanced behind her, trying to see if she could reach the cloak but it was too far away. Magic was the only thing that could help her, but she didn't want to panic Red while she was already scared enough. She couldn't get up get up, but try as she might, whenever she leant up, Ruby pushed her back down.

"You need to work with me here, Red," Emma pleaded. "I need to get your cloak and then we can have a nice, calm conversation."

She had no idea if Ruby could even understand her while she was in her wolf form. She clearly couldn't control whatever was going on. Emma knew Ruby and she wouldn't hurt a fly, even when she was in her wolf form, but that was only when she could control it.

"Please!"

At Emma's cry of desperation, wolf-Red seemed to hear her fear and backed off a fraction, allowing Emma to free her right hand. She quickly flicked her wrist and Ruby's red cloak was in her hand. She swung the cloak on top of the wolf as best she could and waited with bated breath, hoping it would work.

It took a couple of seconds before the fabric shifted and slowly, but surely, Ruby appeared from underneath. She stood slowly but looked terrified and very pale.

"Oh my god, your Highness!" Ruby cried as she recognised Emma. "I am so sorry!" She took a hesitant step forward but then collapsed on the floor, out like a light.

"Red!" Emma gasped as she shot forward. She ran her hands over Ruby's body, as if trying to figure out what was wrong, but she was no doctor. The only thing she could thing of was to get her back to the castle and have Esmeralda look over her.

It was no easy feat getting her back to the castle, however. Emma couldn't be seen lifting her with magic, so she could only lift her up bridal-style and walk as quickly as she could. As soon as she made it onto the castle grounds, she placed Ruby on the floor and waved her hand over her body, allowing her to float alongside her and as she made her way to Henry's quarters.

Once she arrived, she headed straight to the kitchen and luckily found Esmeralda sitting at the table with a mug of tea in her hand, reading a book, clearly on a break. Emma sighed in relief.

"Esmeralda, you have to help me," the blonde gasped out, tired from carrying Ruby and panicking. "She collapsed in the village."

At once, the maid shot into action, abandoning her tea on the table. "Bring her to Sir Henry's sitting room."

Emma nodded emphatically and lifted her arm to lead the wolf into the allocated room. Once inside, she lowered Ruby gently onto to the sofa and Esmeralda ran in with her medicine box. Immediately, she went to take off Red's cloak to get a closer look.

"Whatever you do, do not take her cloak off," Emma said quickly. She didn't know if Ruby would transform back into the wolf despite being away from the moon and the dark. "Trust me."

Esmeralda hesitated but she saw the clear warning in Emma's eyes and she moved her hands away from the cloak fastenings. It was a little more difficult to examine her while surrounded by the large cloak, she would have to make do.

As the brunette examined Ruby's body, Emma could only stand nervously in the background. She knew there couldn't be anything seriously wrong with the wolf as she obviously makes it to Storybrooke, but Emma still worried. She loved Ruby and the two got on like a house on fire in Storybrooke. They were forever ganging up on Snow, before and after the curse broke. The wolf was really Emma's first friend there. Plus knowing that she was her mother's best friend made her feel even more obligated to help her.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Emma asked quietly when Esmeralda pulled back.

"She's just exhausted and dehydrated by the looks of things," Esmeralda replied. "Nothing is broken, and she isn't bleeding. Let her rest and she should come around naturally. We'll give her a solid meal and some water and she can be on her way again." She then stood up and looked at Emma curiously. "How come you didn't take her to the castle?"

"You're the best healer I know," Emma said honestly.

Esmeralda tilted her head in slight confusion. "But you and the Queen have magic. Surely you could have just used that?"

"I don't really know how to heal someone," Emma admitted, "and it's best that the Queen doesn't see her."

With the flash in Emma's eyes, Esmeralda knew not to question the blonde. The main reason Emma didn't want Regina to see Red was simply because she was Snow's best friend. The guards would have reported her to Regina before now and the Queen had most likely seen her in her magic mirror attempting to help Snow whenever she could. Regina may have an unwilling truce with her stepdaughter momentarily, but that didn't mean she wouldn't hurt those who supported her to show that she was still fighting in some way.

"I see," Esmeralda murmured. "I can send for you when she wakes up if you need to get back?"

Emma shook her head. "I'll stay with her, it's fine."

The maid nodded. "Then I'll see you later."

"Thank you, Essie," Emma said, using the maid's rarely used nickname to show just how appreciative she was.

"You're always welcome, Ems."

With that, Esmeralda left the room. Emma didn't know how long Ruby was going to be out, so she tried to keep herself occupied so she wasn't hovering over the wolf. She started with the fire, placing a couple of extra logs in and setting alight with a flick of her wrist, brightening the entire room instantly and filling it with warmth. She then lit some of the candles to bring extra light into the room, but after that, she was at a loss as to what to do. Fortunately, she heard Ruby stirring so she headed back to the sofa.

"Granny?" Ruby murmured sleepily and Emma couldn't help the soft smile. Despite all the sass and complaints Ruby and Granny shot at each other, they still loved each other to no end and the fact that the young wolf called for her grandmother first just consolidated how strong the bond they shared was.

"You're okay," Emma murmured back. She didn't want to frighten the wolf by knowing her name. "You're at the Queen's castle."

Ruby's eyes shot opened as she remembered what happened. "Your Highness!"

"There's no need for titles," Emma said softly. "You can call me Emma."

"I'm Red," Ruby replied and Emma smiled, knowing it was now okay to address her with her name.

"It's nice to meet you, Red. Can you tell me how you got parted with your cloak?" Emma asked gently.

Ruby's eyes flashed with panic. "How do you know about that?"

"I read it in a book once," Emma lied. Well it wasn't really a lie, she had read it in Henry's storybook, but that wasn't important at the present time.

"It got snagged on a tree as I was running from the Queen's guards and as it's a full moon, I couldn't fight the transformation. I am so sorry if I hurt you!"

Emma frowned. Ruby was in danger because of Regina's army and yet here she was, apologising for almost hurting the Princess. There really wasn't a bad bone in her body.

"Don't apologise," Emma said hurriedly. "I'm just glad I found you before anyone got seriously hurt. Are you okay? Do you need a place to stay?"

"I couldn't ask for that," Ruby said quietly.

Again, Emma couldn't help the smile. She reached out and squeezed Red's hand gently. "You're not asking, I'm offering."

Ruby smiled softly and nodded her head slowly. "If it's okay until I can find my way back to Snow. Wait, Emma?" Ruby then tilted her head as she took in Emma. "Are you the same Emma that saved Snow from the Queen?"

Emma's eyes widened, she had momentarily forgotten that she had told Snow her name as her mother wouldn't leave without knowing the name of her _saviour_. She almost rolled her eyes at the situation.

"It would make sense," Ruby continued when Emma didn't say anything. "You saved me too."

Again, Emma kept silent. She couldn't exactly tell the truth, Ruby would think she was barking mad. Fortunately, Ruby continued speaking despite Emma's silence. "You know, you kinda look like Snow now I think about it. Perhaps you're a distant relation and that's why you saved her? Granny said all royals are related somehow."

Emma chuckled with relief that she had some sort of cover story. "Something like that." She then let go of Ruby's hand and took a step back. "I'll have a maid come and give you some food and I'll tell her that you're staying for a few days so she can find you somewhere to sleep. Let me know if you need anything."

Just as Emma was about to leave the room, Ruby called out, "Your Highness…I mean, Emma, why are you helping me when I'm the enemy of your wife?"

Slowly, Emma turned around and looked at Ruby. "You'll see someday." And with that, the blonde left the room and headed back to the castle to find the Queen.

oOoOo

Emma found Regina sitting with Alexandra in her playroom. She was kneeling on the floor with the baby lying on her back in front of her. Regina was waving a bright yellow monkey in front of her face.

"You love Bananas, don't you, my little princess," Regina cooed. The only response she got was Ally gurgling, but Regina was clearly taking it as confirmation. "Oh yes you do." Regina was beaming as she played with the baby. "Are you going to smile for Mommy?" She put Bananas the monkey down and started tickling the princess which was met by gargles.

"I don't know who's having more fun," Emma murmured as she entered the room. "You or Ally."

Regina paused her tickling as she saw Emma. "There you are," she said as she smiled at her love. "We were wondering where you'd got to, weren't we, Alexandra?" She picked the baby up so that she could see Emma walking into the room and Ally's gargles got a fraction louder. "Do you recognise Mama?"

"I think she does," Emma said happily. She knelt beside the Queen and gratefully accepted Alexandra into her arms. She pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning and kissing Regina sweetly on her lips. "I missed you both."

Regina reached out and stroked the back of Ally's head. "We missed you too." She leant forward to kiss Emma once more. "How was the meeting with Hook? Did he accept the conditions?"

"Of course," Emma rolled her eyes. "He'll be here tomorrow." She then focussed her attention on the babbling baby in her arms. "Are you ready to meet uncle Killian?" She cooed. She'd not yet told the captain that she was planning on having him be an uncle to the baby and Emma missed the slight shiver from Regina. "Yes you are, my gorgeous baby." Emma lifted the baby so she could rub her nose against hers. "I love you." She pecked her on her forehead.

"You're so good with her," Regina mused as she took them in. "I fall in love with you even more every time I see you together."

Emma looked up from the baby and smiled shyly. "You think so?"

"Definitely," Regina nodded. She leant forward and kissed Emma's temple. "Why are you so surprised?"

Emma shrugged. She shifted Ally in her arms so she could reach out and hold Regina's hand. The Queen automatically started playing with the blonde's fingers.

"I've never properly been a mother," she said softly. "I met Henry when he was ten. You'd already done the hard part and yeah, I have the fake memories of raising him, but they fade more and more every day. I never really had a mother figure, so I didn't have anything to go by."

Regina linked their fingers together. "What about Snow?" It still baffled Regina that her stepdaughter would grow up and give birth to the woman in front of her. She loved everything about Emma except her parentage.

"She went from having a new born to a 28-year-old daughter in the flash of an eye," Emma shrugged. "I didn't need a mother by the time we met, and she wasn't really okay with that. I love her and I'm glad I found her, don't get me wrong, but it's difficult sometimes. She's the same age as me, maybe younger, so she keeps trying to parent me when I know what I'm doing." She shifted Ally in her arms, hugging her close and pressed her lips against her forehead. "I can't imagine what it's like. Like, imagine if something happens and by the time I go back, Ally is a teenager, or even worse an adult, I wouldn't know how to cope with that either."

"I'm sure that won't be the case," Regina said softly. She reached out and cupped Emma's cheek. "I'm not sure what will happen, but I doubt it'll bethat."

Emma smiled and leant into Regina's touch. "I hope so."

oOoOo

Regina was apprehensive as she waited for Emma to return to the sitting room selected for the event. Emma had gone to fetch Hook after the guards had announced that the princess had a visitor. Ally was napping in the crib at the end of the sofa and Regina was sitting on the edge of the sofa towards the baby but was staring into the flames.

She then heard the tell-tale sounds of people approaching the room. It was difficult to fight the temptation to pick up Alexandra and flee but she kept herself grounded on the sofa. She kept still as the door opened slowly.

"Hey," Emma called softly, not wanting to spook to the Queen or wake up the baby.

Regina took a deep breath before looking over.

"Good afternoon, your Majesty," Hook greeted before bowing low. He'd met with the Evil Queen enough to know how to treat her. "May I say you look wonderful."

The Queen raised her eyebrow, unable to help herself. "Thank you," she replied, slightly stiffly.

Emma walked over to Ally's crib and slowly lifted her out. Regina had to force herself not to move and block Emma from her next movement.

"Are you ready?" The blonde asked the pirate.

Hook was hesitant, nervous. He'd never held a baby before and if he did something even slightly wrong, he knew the Queen would have his head.

"Yes," Hook answered quietly. He stepped forward and held his right arm out. Emma slowly placed Ally into his arm. She rested her hand at the bottom in case she shifted and fell. "She's so beautiful, Swan." Emma smiled softly. "Hi, Ally," he whispered to the baby. "I'm your uncle Killian, but I'll let you call me Killi."

Regina was tense for the entire meeting, but she had no need to. Hook was actually quite a natural with the baby, it was like he was a father in another life. When Ally started to stir, he rocked her side to side to get her to go back to sleep and when she started crying, he didn't hesitate before passing her over to Regina, clearly sensing that she needed a feed.

However, the Queen was rather relieved after a couple of hours when he left. As he was leaving, Emma assured him again that she would speak to the Queen about his living arrangements and promised to let him know soon.

Hook had been gone for a few minutes when Regina turned to the blonde. "What were you two whispering about when he was leaving?" She asked, doubt in her voice.

It took a lot of strength for Emma to not roll her eyes. "He needs somewhere to stay," Emma revealed. "He's currently staying on his ship, but his younger self is about to set sail, so he can't stay there."

"And you want him to stay here?" Regina predicted.

Emma shifted nervously. "Well, we have a lot of room and it'll be easier when…"

"It's time for you to go back," Regina finished off for her. Emma nodded slowly, and the Queen sighed. "I'll look into it."

"Thank you," Emma said. She leant forward and kissed Regina softly.

"Anytime."

oOoOo

A couple of days past and then it was Emma's turn to be anxious. It was time for dinner with Maleficent.

Regina had ordered the staff to clean every inch of the castle, even rooms she was sure Maleficent wouldn't want to enter just in case she was wrong. The Queen also had the chef preparing a larger banquet than normal with fancier dishes on the menu like lobster instead of simple chicken which they were used to eating. It took all of Emma's restraint not to question the detail as to not piss of the Queen once more.

It had quickly been decided, well Emma had requested, that Henry would look after Alexandra. Emma was fine with the dinner with the dragon so long as she wasn't with the baby just in case she revoked her gift and decided to curse her instead.

By the time Maleficent was due, Emma was freaking out a little. She had never seen the castle so clean or Regina look so well put together aside from the announcement ball. She was wearing a deep burgundy dress that had a low v cut in the chest, and Emma could see the sides of her breasts quite clearly. It almost distracted her from being annoyed that she was wearing it. Again, she'd bitten her tongue to not mention anything.

Emma and Regina were waiting in the dining room for Maleficent to appear and as the clocks struck seven, there was a flash and a swirl of smoke in front of the fire place. When it cleared, Maleficent stepped forward and Emma's anxiety increased tenfold as the dragon looked, well, absolutely beautiful. Gone was the scary headpiece, instead she had her long blonde hair hanging by her shoulders, ending in a neat curl. She was wearing a navy-blue dress that didn't leave anything to imagination and her lips were a sultry red. Emma's blood boiled.

"Gina!" Maleficent called as she stepped forward. "Thank you for the invite, it has been far too long!"

Regina met her half way across the room and embraced the dragon. "Mal, it has indeed. I'm still sorry about the announcement ball."

The Queen didn't even glance in Emma's direction as she mentioned it.

"I live for a little drama, you know that," Maleficent replied with a laugh. "Even if I had been invited, I'd have arrived the same way."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course, you would." She chuckled

Emma coughed quietly, proving that she was still in the room.

"Mal, this is who I want you to meet properly," Regina said as she motioned over to Emma. "This is my partner and Alexandra's other mother, Emma."

Maleficent turned and took in Emma who was stood wearing the same red dress she'd worn the night Alexandra had been conceived, hoping it would bring her some confidence. It wasn't working as the dragon looked her up and down.

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said, her voice wavering. She held her hand out.

The dragon smirked, hearing the nerves clear in Emma's voice. "Likewise," she said. Emma's lie detector was pinging already, revealing that he dragon wasn't okay with meeting Emma, but Maleficent shook her hand nevertheless.

Sensing the awkwardness, Regina cleared her throat and suggested they all sat down. Lumiere immediately brought out a bottle of wine and started pouring each of them a glass. Emma immediately picked up her goblet and downed half of it in one go. She glanced towards Lumiere who understood her silent request as he came over and refilled her glass before returning to the kitchen.

"So, Mal, what's been keeping you busy over the last week that you couldn't come any sooner?" Regina asked, making conversation and pretending she hadn't seen Emma large intake of wine.

"You're going to love it," Maleficent replied excitedly. Her smirk grew and her eyes shined brightly with pride. "I've captured Snow While and her prince."


	31. Chapter 31

"Sorry, what did you say?" Emma asked, her voice low.

Maleficent turned the blonde, looking even more proud with herself. "I said, I've captured Snow White and her prince," she repeated, slowly and clearly, as if Emma was hard of hearing.

Emma's blood ran cold at the revelation and her heart stopped for a second. She glared at the dragon. "Why?" The princess demanded.

Maleficent chuckled in delight at Emma's distress. "Because I know how much Regina wants her." She smirked at Emma. "I don't see you doing anything like that for her," she sneered.

"I don't need to," Emma replied easily. "I don't need to buy the Queen's affection, I earned it."

" _Emma_ ," Regina warned before turning to the dragon. "Don't be difficult, Mal. Why have you captured her? I have no need for her."

"It's for you, a gift," Maleficent said. "I saw her when I was flying and I knew how much it would thrill you if she was caught. Typically, her prince came to find her," the dragon's eyes flashed with glee, "so I took him too."

"What!?" Emma cried. She shot back in her chair, the legs scraping against the floor. "Please excuse me."

Emma flicked her wrist, and the familiar swirl of white surrounded her, missing Regina's shout of her name. When the smoke cleared, Emma materialised in Henry's quarters, directly in the kitchen. She was greeted by a scream.

"Emma!" The blonde turned and saw Laverne standing by the stove, her hand clutching her chest over her heart. "What have I told you about doing that!"

"Sorry," Emma said quickly, unable to help the chuckle. "I wasn't thinking. Is Red still here?"

Emma had been unable to come down and see her as Regina had been in many meetings over the last few days, so Emma had been on Alexandra duty.

"Yes, she's in the sitting room, I think," Laverne replied.

"Thanks." Emma turned to leave the room but paused when Laverne called her name. "What?"

"Is everything alright?" Laverne asked, concerned. She knew that the Queen had a high-profile guest over, the news had spread around the castle, so the reason Emma had left looking annoyed couldn't be good.

"Of course," Emma replied unconvincingly. The cook raised her eyebrow, but Emma just ignored her and walked out of the room.

When she arrived in the sitting room, she saw Red sitting on the sofa with a book in her hands. Emma smiled as she recognised the title. She was reading Her Handsome Hero. Belle would be pleased. However, when Emma walked in, Red looked up.

"Your Highness," Red greeted. She quickly put the book down and stood up before curtseying.

"You don't need to do that," Emma said hurriedly. "I need your help. Maleficent has captured Snow White and Prince Charming!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" The wolf asked.

"I don't know where her castle is," Emma replied reluctantly.

Ruby simply smiled. "It's a good job I do then." She then looked Emma up and down, taking in her dress. She raised her eyebrow.

Realising what Ruby's silent look meant, Emma quickly waved her hand over her dressed and she was once more dressed in a simple cotton trousers and a jersey which would make running easier should they need to.

If Ruby was surprised that Emma had magic, she didn't reveal anything. In fact, she just seemed rather impressed.

"Lead the way," Emma motioned and the two shot off out of the castle grounds.

Once they were out in the open, Ruby stopped them. "How do you feel about riding?" She asked slowly.

Emma looked slightly hesitant. "I'm not very good with horses."

"There won't be any horses involved," Red revealed. She then lifted her hands to her cloak and unfastened the clasp. "Make sure to put this back on once we get there."

Emma nodded and gulped. Ruby's eyes flashed as she let the wolf take over. As the full moon had passed, she had more control over her other self, but that didn't mean that Emma wasn't nervous when the large beast replaced the slender woman.

Wolf-Ruby crossed the space between them and nuzzled Emma's hand, showing her that she wasn't to be scared of. Her fur was a lot softer than Emma expected and she couldn't help herself as she ran her fingers through the tufts until she heard the low growl which she was sure was just Ruby laughing at her before she became serious. She looked to the direction they needed to head in before looking back at the blonde. Emma got the hint. With a deep breath, she jumped onto Ruby's back and held lightly onto the fur at the scruff of her neck with the cloak wrapped securely around her waist.

"I'm ready," Emma announced and with that, Ruby set off running as fast as she physically could.

The trees passed in a blur, they were simply different shades of green that rushed past as the spring was officially upon them. Emma partially wished she could take in some of the sights of her birth right, but she couldn't, not at the ferocious speed she was travelling. She was impressed at how far and fast Ruby could run without tiring. She didn't know how long they travelled before a large barren castle loomed ahead and Ruby finally started to slow.

Once Red stopped, Emma slipped somewhat gracefully off her back and quickly placed the cloak over her body. After a few moments, Ruby appeared once more in her human form from under the cloak.

"Still okay?" She asked and Emma nodded. "Good, right so where are Snow and Charming exactly?"

Emma tried to think of the conversation that felt so long ago about what the dragon had said but came up empty. "I'm not sure, but I bet they're separate. If they were together, they'd be out by now."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Definitely," she concurred. "Can you magic us to the top and we can start there?"

Emma inhaled deeply, nervously. She didn't know what the top of Maleficent's castle looked like to be able to picture it as part of the spell. She was reluctant to test it alone let alone taking Ruby with her, but she needed to have confidence in herself.

"I can try," Emma said.

Emma shook out her limbs in preparation before reaching out and taking Ruby's outstretched hand. She had to admire the wolf as she didn't shake, she was confident and somehow, she trusted the blonde implicitly and Emma decided that she needed to tip her more at the diner in the future. Well, if they both lived through this.

"What room do you reckon is the highest in the castle?" Emma asked. "The emptiest room," she clarified. She knew the attic would probably be the highest, but she didn't want to poof into a cluttered room should she injure herself or Ruby.

"Her bedroom, maybe?" Red suggested, looking just as unsure as the blonde.

"Okay," Emma muttered.

She had no idea what Maleficent's bedroom looked like but all she could do was concentrate on Maleficent and a bed and just hope for the best.

With a deep breath of anticipation, she shut her eyes and flicked her wrist. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and saw that she had indeed shifted. The smoke cleared, and she saw that she was in a bedroom but that could mean very little. She rushed to the closest window and saw that she was at least inside Maleficent's castle. Whether she was in the dragon's bedroom was a different story, but really, that didn't matter.

Glancing over at Ruby, she saw her look a bit pale.

"Yeah, it's a bit sickly the first time," Emma commented. "Sorry."

The wolf shook her head, "don't worry about it."

Emma nodded and the two started looking in the room before heading out in the hallway. They both checked every room they entered despite knowing it would be obvious if Snow or Charming were in there, but they wanted to be thorough.

"Emma?" Ruby called softly as they entered the third chamber.

"Yeah?" Emma didn't turn but replied to show that she'd heard.

"Why are you helping Snow when she's the Queen enemy?" Ruby asked. "You never really answered the other day."

The blonde sighed and turned around. "It's long and complicated," she said slowly. "Let me just say, everyone's future depends on them." Ruby's brows furrowed in confusion. "I'll tell you all about it one day, but I can't right now."

"Oh, when?"

Emma chuckled. "One day. Now we really need to get looking."

The wolf heard Emma's instruction and she stopped her questions and started looking for her friends. As they finished that room, they headed a little further down the corridor and found that it split off into two separated corridors.

"I'll go left and you go right?" Ruby suggested.

"I can't think of anything better," Emma replied. "I'll come find you when I've got whichever I find first. If you find them both, come find me, okay?"

To Emma's confusion, Ruby stepped forward and inhaled by Emma's neck. She stepped back and flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I should have warned you," she mumbled. "I was taking in your scent so that I can find you easier later."

Emma nodded. "Okay," she repeated, not quite sure what else to say. "Right, good luck."

"You too."

She then watched Ruby take off down the left corridor as Emma headed down the right one. She was nervous to now be alone, but she couldn't allow herself to be scared. Quickly, she centred herself and remembered her mission: she had to find her parents.

Not knowing where to start, she simply looked in every room she came across. Fortunately, Maleficent didn't have any guards as she wasn't a royal and usually, people weren't stupid enough to ransack the dragon's home when she wasn't there. Emma was just one of the idiots that would.

Prepared to face some boobytraps, Emma was on high alert for anything jumping up at her. As she walked down the hallway, she tried to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible and strained her ears for any sound, but she was coming up empty.

Along the corridor she travelled, and she looked into every room but every single one was bare of a human presence. She did find a skeleton in one room which made her shiver and almost scream.

Finally, she reached a narrow stone spiral staircase leading higher making her presumption that the bedroom she arrived in was the highest room in the castle incorrect. Quietly, she started making her way up the stairs.

She was barely halfway up when she finally heard a sound. Someone was crying. A woman. Emma didn't recognise the sobbing but sadistically, she hoped it was her mother. Not because she was crying, but it meant that she had found her.

As she reached the top of the staircase, she realised she was right.

Snow was sitting in the far corner of the room. Her usually luscious dark hair was matter and seemed to have leaves embedded in. Her white suit was dirty and ripped. She was hugging her knees and rocking back and forth as she sobbed, completely unaware that she was no longer alone.

"Snow?" Emma whispered softly.

At the sound of her name, Snow's head shot up and Emma couldn't help the gasp. Her mother's eyes were puffy and red raw, and she had a bruised cheek and a swollen lip. Emma's heart bled at the sight.

"Emma?" Snow said cautiously as she remembered the blonde who had saved her all those months ago.

The blonde nodded and quickly, she rushed forward. "What happened?" She asked as she started checking her over.

Despite what she'd said to Esmeralda a few days earlier about not knowing how to heal, Emma seemed to find the capacity as she looked at how broken her mother was. She reached out and softly pressed her hand against Snow's bruised cheek. The Princess trembled at the touch, but Emma ignored it as she tried to channel all the healing power she could muster. She thought about her love for Henry, Alexandra and Regina. Hoping the love for her family would help. She thought about her friends in Storybrooke and finally she thought about her father and her mother.

Risking a glance up, Emma saw her palm was emitting a white glow that settled over Snow's cheek and lip. Her bruise faded and her lip started to heal and was as good as new.

"Thank you," Snow gasped. She reached up pressed her finger against her lip, feeling the newly healed skin.

"What happened?" Emma asked again.

"Maleficent got me," Snow replied. "I was trying to find my friend, Red. She'd gone missing and I was looking for her but Maleficent found me and said I would be a good prize for the Queen. She locked me up here and I've not been able to escape." She pointed to her wrist and her ankle which were both chained to the wall. "I've tried everything I can to open the clasps, but nothing worked."

Emma crossed the spaced and took in the chains. She went to touch the ankle chain and hissed. It was as if the metal was on fire. You clearly needed magic to unlock it. Emma waved her hand over the clasp with the first unlocking charm that came to mind, but it didn't work. With determination, Emma concentrated once more and soon heard the mechanisms snap and Snow was free.

With some help, Snow was able to stand. She was a little weak after not being able to move for a week at least and most likely have been fed the most basic of rations.

"How did you know I was here?" Snow asked slowly.

"It doesn't matter," Emma replied. "We need to find Red and Charming."

"Charming is here?" Snow gasped. "We need to find him!"

It was with great strength that Emma didn't roll her eyes. "That's the plan. Now let's go, can you walk?"

Snow took a hesitant step, her joints creaked with lack of use, but it was nothing a little sprint wouldn't loosen up. "I'm good, after you."

Emma headed out of the room and down the stone steps, before they carried on with Emma's search. With an extra person, they were able to check quicker, but they still came up empty.

Before long, they'd checked the entirety of the two floors below them.

"This is taking forever," Snow whined. "I need Charming."

"Can't you use your "I'll always find you" crap?" Emma asked sarcastically.

"I can't use it on command," Snow replied uncertainly, unsure how this stranger knew about that.

"Typical," Emma muttered under her breath before they continued searching.

They made it to the next floor below before they heard a sound that wasn't emitted from them. Emma flattened her palm and produced a fireball ready to launch. She glanced at Snow, raising her free hand and pressed a finger to her lips, indicated that they should be silent. Snow nodded and balled her fists up as she had no other weapon.

Suddenly the creators of the sound came into view and Emma was about to loose her fireball when she heard a familiar voice.

"Snow!"

Looking up, Emma saw Ruby and Charming come into view, so she quickly extinguished her fireball.

"Charming!" Snow called and the two rushed forward and embraced each other.

"As cute as this reunion is, we really need to get going," Ruby sassed and again, Emma loved her.

The happy couple nodded and linked hands.

"Red, grab Snow and then take my hand," Emma instructed.

The others did as were told. She then shut her eyes and concentrated on the picture of her parents' castle in Henry's story brook. She'd heard from the guards that Snow and Charming had defeated George and had taken over his castle as their home.

With a flick of her wrist, the four were transported to the castle in a cloud of white smoke. Once it cleared, Emma saw that her spell had succeeded. She was in the castle where she was born but she couldn't look around like she wanted. She needed to get back to Regina before it was too obvious what she was doing, though she was sure her love would have figured it out the moment Emma shot out of the room.

"Thank you so much!" Snow gasped as she hugged Emma tightly. The blonde couldn't help the tear that escaped as she felt her mother's embrace for the first time in over a year. At first, she didn't like Mary Margaret's fussing over her, but she realised in that moment, that sometimes, it was okay and she actually missed the occasional hug. "I don't know how we'll ever repay you."

"Just stay alive," Emma suggested. "I have a lot riding on it."

Snow laughed, misunderstanding her point before her eyes flashed with something and she turned to Charming. "I know, we'll name our first daughter after you."

Emma smiled. "I'll take that," she said. Her initial response was to say, "you don't have to do that," but she realised in a second that they really did otherwise she might not have her name. Thinking about it, now she didn't know what came first, Snow coming up with her name, or being saved by someone called Emma to influence that she would name her daughter Emma.

"Emma it is," Snow confirmed with a smile.

Charming then stepped forward and hugged her too and again, Emma accepted it, because it was a hug from her father. She hugged him a fraction tighter than Snow as she had always been closer to him that her mother as he seemed to understand her more.

Emma pulled back. "I have to go," she said. "Please, don't leave the castle unless you have to. It's imperative that you stay alive."

"Why?" Charming asked, ever the idiot and not just accepting things.

"You'll find out in the future," Emma replied. She took a step back and smiled again. "I'll see you again someday." And with that, she flicked her wrist and appeared back in Henry's quarters as if she'd never left.

She made her way to Henry's favourite library and wasn't disappointed.

Henry was sitting on his favourite armchair with Alexandra on his lap, reading her a story.

"And then the little goose ran away!" He read before looking at Ally. "Well that's not very good, is it?"

"Am I interrupting?" Emma asked as she stepped forward.

Henry looked up and smiled. "Not at all. Why are you dressed like a peasant explorer?" He added when he took in Emma's outfit.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Securing my future," she murmured before waving her hand over her and changing back into the red dress. "Can I take her?" She motioned to the baby.

"Of course." Henry shifted and put the book down to allow Emma to pick her daughter up. Immediately she cuddled her close. "She's been perfect as usual," Henry said before Emma could even ask.

"Good." She pecked her daughter on her cheek before shifting her. "I'm going to take her back to the castle."

"Dare I asked what you meant by you were securing your future?" Henry asked, his eyebrow raised.

"It doesn't matter," Emma assured him. "For now, it's all done and dusted. Right now, I need to get some food and have some snuggles with my favourite snuggle buddy." She lifted Ally and nuzzled their noses together, "Don't I, my favourite snuggly princess?" Alexandra simply babbled nonsense as per usual. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Good evening, Emma," Henry bid with a smile in his voice.

"Same to you," she replied.

She then leant forward and pecked his cheek before she turned and headed out of the room. After that, she began trekking back up to the main castle as Alexandra was still too young to poof with.

The walk seemed to take longer than normal, most likely due to the anticipation she felt about being back in the room with Regina and Maleficent and having the Queen's knowing eye on her. However, as she opened the door, she was met with an empty room as the Queen and her guest were clearly no longer in the dining room.

Emma then backed out of the room and headed to Regina's favourite sitting room, presuming they would have gone there. The blonde's instinct was correct but when she opened the door, she was greeted with a sight that turned her blood even colder than the announcement earlier.

Regina and Maleficent were stood in front of the fire, each with a small glass of cider in their hands, their faces lit up with bright smiles. Just as Emma was about to step into the room, Maleficent reached forward and tucked a loose strand of Regina's hair behind her ear and leant in for a kiss.


	32. Chapter 32

"Regina!?" Emma cried as she stepped into the room and suddenly the Queen pulled back from the dragon before their lips touched as if she'd been electrocuted. Her head snapped to the left, meeting Emma's eyes.

"Emma!" She gasped. "There you are!" She pushed past Maleficent, missing the rejection in her eyes, and rushed over to Emma and Alexandra. "Where have you been?"

"I think the more important question is what the hell did I just interrupt?" Emma snapped. At the volume and harshness of her voice, Alexandra started to cry. "No, Ally, it's okay," Emma cooed as she rocked the baby side to side, trying to calm her down.

"I should go," Maleficent murmured.

"No," Emma said before calling for Janey. Within seconds, the maid arrived. "I'm so sorry to spring this on you, but could you take Ally to her nursery and put her down for a nap?"

"Of course, your Highness," Janey said and curtseyed low to both Emma and the Queen before taking the now yawning princess out of the room.

Emma turned back on Regina and Maleficent and crossed her arms. "Well?"

Regina started to stutter, not quite knowing what to say. After Emma had left, Maleficent hadn't showed any signs of romantic feelings. They had simply joked and talked with each other like old times. She had no inkling that something like that would happen, yet she couldn't find the words to say that to the blonde who was currently shaking with fury.

"Answer me," Emma demanded as a tear slipped down her face. Yet Regina didn't say anything, confirming all of Emma's doubts. "I knew it." A few more tears escaped. "I fucking knew it. You win, Maleficent." She turned to Regina. "I'm leaving."

"Emma!" Regina cried, finally finding her tongue. She ran over to Emma and reached for her hands, but the blonde snatched them out of her reach. "It's not what you think. I do not have feelings for Maleficent. It wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh yeah?" Emma scoffed. "Then tell me, your Majesty, what exactly did I walk in on because to me, it looked like you were about to let your ex-girlfriend kiss you?"

"I wouldn't have allowed it," Regina defended, batting her eyelashes to prevent the tears that were threatening to fall. She reached for Emma's hands again, but this time, the blonde accepted it. "I didn't realise what was going on, you just got here a second before I could react. I love _you_ , Emma. You know that." She gave up fighting the tears as they slipped down her cheeks. "I don't want her."

Both heard Maleficent's sharp intake of breath in the background. The couple turned to face her and Emma was surprised with what she saw. Maleficent was pale and looked just as shaken up as Emma did but with embarrassment rather than fury.

"I'm sorry," Maleficent said, speaking for the first time. "I got ahead of myself and forgot my place." She turned to the Queen. "I'll go."

"Mal–"

Regina's call was broken off as Emma flicked her wrists, invisibly pinning the dragon to the wall, preventing her from transporting herself away. The sight of sheer cowardice flipped Emma over the edge.

"Emma!" Regina cried more, utterly confused and worried about what the blonde was doing. She'd never seen her so angry.

Emma stalked forward like a lion seeking their prey until she was face to face with the dragon. "What gives you the right to take what isn't yours?" Emma asked, her voice low and filled with anger. "You had your chance with Regina and you both ended it. Why try and get her back now when she's clearly with someone else?"

Maleficent pulled on the invisible ties on her wrists, trying to free herself, but it didn't work; Emma's magic was far too strong, especially with her anger fuelling it.

"I'm sorry!" The dragon repeated. "I forgot my place, it just felt like old times. Joking around. Drinking. I guess I've been so lonely lately, I'd forgotten what it was like."

"Lonely?" Emma scoffed. "You've had guests in your castle for the past week!"

"They don't count," Maleficent replied. She'd finally stopped struggling against the bindings and sighed. "I won't try anything again. I'll stay away from the castle."

"Mal," Regina said softly, speaking for the first time. She stepped forward and slipped her hand into Emma's in an attempt to calm her down before raising her other hand and removing the bindings. Emma tensed but Regina ignored it. "Look, you overstepped, you know you did, but you're my friend, you're welcome here any time." She looked at Emma with her eyebrow raised, seeing if she would argue.

Emma snatched her hand away from the Queen's and turned to her in shock. "Excuse me? You're just okay with all of this? Did you want her to kiss you?"

"No, Emma, but it was just a misunderstanding," Regina said, somewhat calmly. "We all have them. Why can't you just drop this? Mal said sorry."

"Sometimes sorry isn't good enough," Emma muttered.

"You're being stupid, Emma," Regina snapped, losing her patience. "Stop it."

"What did you just call me?" Emma asked lowly, turning to the Queen.

Regina balked as she realised what she said. "Em, I'm sor–"

"Don't," Emma looked Regina in the eye. " _ever_ call me stupid," she growled before flicking her wrist and disappearing in a cloud of white.

When she rematerialised, she found herself in the library. Usually she would have gone to Regina's apple tree but right now, she wanted nothing to do with the Queen. She didn't even want to be comforted by something from her past because if was about the Queen. It would also take Henry longer to find here which she knew was inevitable.

She soon started pacing. She couldn't sit down. She was too agitated.

She couldn't help picturing the almost kiss, it kept reeling over and over in her head like a never-ending tape. She couldn't stand it. The hairs on her arms stood up and her breathing was heavy, as if she couldn't pull in enough air into her lungs. It was almost painful.

How dare Regina be so calm about it all? Why was Emma so angry about it all?

When she had been dating Neal, plenty of girls had thrown themselves on him and she hadn't really cared. Most of the time, she'd just laugh it off, but she loved him. Yet now, she saw someone try and kiss Regina once and she completely lost it. No not someone. Maleficent, Regina's _ex-girlfriend_.

She slumped hard against the wall and allowed herself to slip down until she ungracefully crashed onto the floor, staring at nothing in front of her. Her eyes glazed over, unblinking as it dawned on her.

It was because of Maleficent.

Emma had been utterly against the dragon since she'd first heard about her. She didn't want her to meet Alexandra and she didn't want her to come to dinner. Perhaps she should have intercepted the invitation, then this entire evening would have been avoided. Facing Regina's wrath probably would have been easier, she mused to herself.

Despite Regina's constant reassurances, Emma still didn't feel like she deserved her, she wasn't her equal. Maleficent was. The two were brought up similarly from what Regina had told Emma about the dragon. Both of them had pushy mothers and a difficult childhood. Not to mention they both had powerful magic that could knock Emma's socks off.

Wait, so why couldn't Maleficent fight Emma's magic if she was so powerful? Emma wondered, but she didn't know the answer. Unless the blonde had just been so angry and scared that it beat her magic at that particular time? Perhaps.

With a deep breath, Emma pulled her legs in and wrapped her arms around them. Finally, she let the threatening tears spill over. She didn't bother to wipe them away.

At some point, she knew she'd have to go back. She just hoped to a God that she didn't believe in that Maleficent would have gone by the time she returned. She hoped even more that the dragon wasn't trying to make another move on the Queen while Emma had gone, but Emma knew Regina. The Queen would have distanced herself from the dragon and not allow her the opportunity for that to reoccur.

Emma reached up and wiped away her fallen tears. Regina knew how she felt about being called stupid, but she'd called her it anyway. Just because she was Queen didn't give her the right to be cruel, right? Emma laughed humourlessly. The _Evil_ Queen. Right. It was one of the rare times since being back that she'd actually seen the Evil Queen come out to play. However, she couldn't ponder upon it any longer as she heard looming footsteps.

"I wondered if I'd find you here," said a quiet voice.

Emma didn't even need to look up to know who was approaching. "You seem to have a knack for finding me," she murmured mostly under her breath, but Henry heard and couldn't help smiling at the comment.

"You don't make it very hard, dear," he said softly with a quiet chuckle in his voice before becoming serious. "Now, let's take a seat somewhere comfortable; I'm far too old to be sitting on the floor."

Emma sighed once more before slowly standing. She made her way over to her favourite armchair where Henry had settled himself beside. With a wave of her hand, she produced the tea and a tray of biscuits as she still hadn't eaten and was getting a little peckish. She flourished her hand once more and lit the fire, allowing the orange flames to warm them up on the cool evening.

Instead of speaking, Emma just nibbled on the biscuits and waited for Henry talk. He'd scouted her out after all.

"What made you come to the library and not to the apple tree?" He asked quietly.

"I didn't want to be found," she responded quietly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I knew you'd know I was there when she eventually sent you to come find me." Emma rolled her eyes. "Dare I ask why Regina hasn't come herself?"

Her heart beat quickly in her chest, half terrified of what Henry was about to say. Perhaps Maleficent really had won in the end and she had made Regina see the light that they belonged together and the two were currently naked and sweaty in their bed. Emma shivered.

"Alexandra is restless, and Janey couldn't get her to settle," Henry revealed and the blonde relaxed at the fact her imagination was completely and vehemently wrong. "She thought it would be best to bring her back to Regina. Janey then asked me to go to Regina's rooms as she needed to speak to me." Emma tensed, convinced Henry would go onto what had happened, but he surprised her. "Why the library?"

Emma's eyebrows shot up, but she quickly recovered. "I love books. They comfort me. Even being surrounded by them." She motioned to the shelves and shrugged.

Henry didn't ask any further questions, he simply tilted his head and waited for her to continue.

Taking the cue, Emma took a deep breath and pulled her knees up to her chest as a form of security.

"I had a shitty childhood," she began. "I got tossed around from family to family and foster homes. They were all shit but something that helped me get through it all were libraries and bookshops. I'd go in and hide in the corner. The owners didn't mind because I was so careful with the books. I read everything I could get my hands on from fiction to encyclopaedias." She took a deep breath. "I spent all of my time in prison in the library too. It was where I worked and kept to myself. When I left, I got into Harvard University which you won't have heard of but it's a bloody brilliant school and fucking difficult to get into. Like only the best of the best go there and I got in, despite my stint in jail. Sure, I have huge debts to pay off now that are slowly going, but I made it. I have a master's degree in English literature and I toyed with the idea of a PhD, but I didn't think I was good enough, so I didn't. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I got odd jobs here and there before becoming a bail bonds person. Then Henry found me and took me to my family."

"You're right, I don't know what Harvard is," Henry commented, "but from that makes sense. Books being a support system and it makes sense that you'd want to be surrounded by them with what's going on."

Emma tensed, it was time.

"She told me what happened," Henry said. He took a sip of his tea and tried to meet Emma's eye, but she avoided it as best she could. "I thought we'd discussed about Regina and Maleficent. You don't have anything to worry them."

Emma threw her last biscuit back down on the plate. "I walked in on them almost kissing, Henry!" She snapped. "I have every right to be angry about this regardless of Regina saying she would have pulled away if I hadn't walked in."

"Emma, that just proves what I said," Henry sighed. "Regina would have pushed her away. She said so herself and you know her. Was there any need to storm out like a child?"

The blonde's eyes snapped up to the man in front of her. For the first time, he was being a little brutal, and not in his usual way of pointing something out so that she'd go back to Regina.

"She called me stupid, Henry," Emma muttered. "That's why I stormed out. She knows better than anyone that I'm not. I beat your brother at chess easily. I went to fucking Harvard university!" She shot out of her seat and took a few paces away from where she was sitting before turning back to Henry, her arms crossed. "I have a fucking master's degree! But no, people just keep calling me stupid when I'm not. Sure, I'm a little clumsy and I run my mouth sometimes. But the one thing I'm not is stupid." She turned her back on him once more. "The entire time I've known you, you've always been kind and supported me. No matter what. What have I done now?"

"Sometimes I find tough loving works better," Henry said simply.

Emma span on her heel. "What?!" She looked at him incredulously. "After everything Cora did to Regina, you think tough loving is the best thing here?" She laughed humourlessly at it. "What's wrong with you tonight, Henry?"

"I'm trying to get you to see that you and Regina are meant to be together." He sighed. "Maleficent is just an extra part who doesn't matter. Regina didn't mean to call you stupid, it was a heat of the moment thing. Something I'm sure you've done it in the past."

Emma shifted awkwardly, knowing Henry was right.

Henry then stood up and closed the gap between them. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the blonde, hugging her close, before pulling back. "I love both of you. I want your happiness. That's all that matters to me. I'd sacrifice my life for yours or Regina's happiness."

The blonde's breath hitched at the revelation, knowing that he would have to for Rumple's curse. Well she hoped, as horrible as that sounded, just because she knew if Regina cast the curse right now, it could possibly be her heart or heaven forbid Alexandra's heart that she would use. She had to cast the curse! Quickly, she shook her head to clear those negative thoughts.

"I'm sure it won't come to that," she said hastily.

Henry sighed. "Go back upstairs to Regina. Talk this out. You know you want to."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Going back up there is not high on my list," she said. "I'd rather stay down here."

" _Emma_ ," Henry sighed exasperatedly. "Go. That's an order." When Emma didn't move, he reached out and squeezed her arm softly. "In all seriousness, you two need to talk it out while the event is still fresh otherwise it'll get worse."

She exhaled slowly. "I guess." She didn't want to go back up and her conversation with Henry hadn't really made anything better, but she knew that she had to speak to Regina sooner rather than later. She just hoped to god that Maleficent had already left.

"Fine, I'm going," she said. "I'll see you later."

She waved her hand over the tea tray and extinguished the fire before walking out the library, hearing Henry's quiet, "good luck," behind her.

As she moved through the castle, she nodded to the guards she saw who all greeted her with a nod or hello.

Before long, she was face to face with her bedroom doors, presuming Regina would have retired for the evening. With a deep breath, she opened the door and saw Regina sitting in bed, rocking Alexandra in her arms.

"It's okay, my darling Alexandra," Regina was cooing. "Hopefully Mama will be back soon and she won't hate me."

"She doesn't," Emma murmured quietly as she walked over to the bed. She perched on the bed gently as to not stir the baby. "She's angry, but she doesn't hate you." Looking up, she smiled nervously at the Queen who had red eyes, a clear sign that she'd been crying.

"I'm so sorry, Emma," Regina said quickly. "It all escalated and I wish I could take back what I said. You're not stupid, you're brilliant, smart, sexy, wonderful, and not to mention absolutely beautiful. The most perfect person I could imagine falling in love with." Regina looked down and saw that Alexandra had fallen asleep. "Give me a second." Emma nodded and watched as Regina put Alexandra down in her crib before returning to where she'd been. Emma had repositioned and was sitting with her back to the bedframe.

Regina smiled nervously and sat down, leaving a breath between them. She gulped before reaching out and resting her hand against Emma's knee. "I'm really sorry about what you saw," she murmured. When Emma didn't remove her hand, she risked moving a fraction closer. "I think the alcohol got to her, but I promise you, I wouldn't have let her kiss me."

"It just wasn't something I wanted to walk in," Emma said. "For obvious reasons."

The Queen nodded. "I know." She sighed. "Tonight was meant to show you how great she is and prove that she's just a friend but that–"

"Went tits up?" Emma suggested, raising her eyebrow.

"Most definitely," Regina sighed. "You're never going to trust her now, are you?"

"Probably not," Emma admitted. "But I believe you. If you say you weren't going to let her kiss you, then you weren't, but that wasn't what made me leave."

Regina swallowed nervously. "I know and I'm so sorry for that. As soon as you left, she said goodbye and transported away."

"Chicken," Emma murmured.

"She's a dragon actually," Regina said in an attempt to joke and Emma's lips twitched as she fought the smile.

"I'm glad she left though," she softly. "Did you at least tell her to leave Snow and Charming alone?"

"Yes," Regina nodded as she cautiously took hold of Emma's hand and linked their fingers together when she didn't pull back. "I told her that she wasn't to recapture them as I was sure they would be able to get free while she was away from the castle. I tried not to make it seem that you had disappeared to go save them." The Queen raised her eyebrow, daring the blonde to contradict her.

"Well she had Snow in the attic and Charming in the cellar," Emma revealed. "They were never going to get themselves out of that mess, but Snow says she's going to name her daughter after me," Emma chuckled, "so that's a win, right?"

"It is a beautiful name, I will give her that," Regina murmured. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman who I love."

"I love you too," Emma said softly. "Please don't ever doubt that, but please don't call me stupid, Ginny, you know that gets to me."

Regina nodded solemnly. "I'll never utter the word again, well not towards you."

Emma laughed. "Yes, you do have a tendency to call my parents the two idiots. Thought I'm sure it's out of fondness."

The Queen tilted her head. "I don't think I've ever referred to your parents as such."

"Well, you will," Emma said. "Now," she turned so she was face to face with the Queen, "will you let me kiss you? I don't want to keep fighting."

Regina smiled out of relief that Emma wasn't still angry with her. "Without hesitation."

 _A/N: Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year, just in case I don't get another chapter up before the new year. I hope 2019 brings you everything you desire and 2018 was what you wanted! Love, Emss xx_


	33. Chapter 33

Despite the slight hiccup, Emma and Regina's relationship didn't particularly suffer after that night. They'd spoken about it a couple of times to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. Regina apologised again for calling Emma stupid and Emma apologised for walking away, promising that she wouldn't run away in future no matter how upset she was. Despite having no arguments in the past few months, they were doing better. With their new found understanding of each other, they were the super team as they raised their daughter.

Soon enough, Alexandra was celebrating her three-month birthday which Emma had said wasn't a thing, but Regina said otherwise. The blonde had simply rolled her eyes when Regina had said she wanted to host a party for Ally's "birthday", stating that she wouldn't remember it, nor did she need it. However, Regina had flashed her best persuasion eyes and spent an evening between Emma's legs until she relented and allowed the tiny party to happen. Tiny was the key word as only the two of them, Henry and Hook, who had recently moved in much to Regina's dismay, were invited. So really, it was just a family dinner with a cake at the end of the meal…Emma didn't complain about that.

Hook had moved into the castle not long after Emma and Regina's argument. Regina had mostly forgotten that the pirate was going to be moving in, so she was rather confused when he turned up somewhat out of the blue. Emma had greeted him with a hug which ruffled the Queen's feathers even further, but with a pointed look from the blonde, Regina held her hand out and greeted him somewhat kindly. By the time Ally's birthday get together came around, Regina wasn't treating him quite as stiffly, but they were definitely not friends.

At first, Regina had briefly mentioned inviting Maleficent to Ally's birthday meal, but Emma had refused and put her foot down this time, not wanting a repeat of before, even though Henry and Hook were going to be there. Regina had quickly retracted the idea. She knew no persuasion tactic, sexual or otherwise, would change the blonde's mind.

About a week afterward the small get together, Regina was called into an emergency meeting with King Midas and a couple of other royals. King George had well and truly fallen, and Snow and Charming were rising, their army building, their supporters rallying. The other royals wanted Regina's influence and instruction to guide them through this time. Naturally, Regina didn't want Snow dead as she was yet to give birth to Emma, something that needed to happen, so she was panicking a little at being pushed into a meeting last minute. She had not been able to escape it as the other Kings had turned up to the castle out of the blue demanding an audience with her. However, Regina was professional, and she knew how to wrap the men around her finger. So she headed into the meeting, wearing a rather low cut dress to get their attention away from the topic of the meeting and make them putty in her hands. It turned out to be rather successful.

It was when Regina was in this meeting that Emma decided to go for a wander around the castle. Alexandra was in her nursery with Nanny Kala who had been rehired now that the baby was getting a little bit older. Emma was still reluctant to allow her to look after her daughter, but Kala and Ally had bonded quickly and Emma was slowly coming around to the idea.

Emma had been tempted to ask Hook if he wanted to do something, whether that was just chat or have a coffee or something, but he was currently in the village, though doing what Emma wasn't sure and she daren't ask. He had been rather secretive since living at the palace, but she didn't really mind if it meant that he left them alone but he was always there if she needed someone to talk to.

Initially, Emma had decided to make her way to Regina's library though the Queen had now taken to calling it Emma's as she spent far more time in there than the Queen ever did. However, once the blonde took her usual seat in the armchair in front of the roaring fire, she couldn't quite get comfortable like usual. She felt like she was missing out on something, but what, she wasn't quite sure. She had asked the Queen before if there were any other libraries in her castle, as it was so huge one would presume there had to be several, but Regina had said the large library was the main one. It didn't mean there weren't others but there was something in the Queen's voice that made Emma not question any further.

However, on this mild mid-afternoon, Emma didn't really want to be sitting in front of a hot fireplace and thought it was about time that she found out whether there was another library or not. With Regina locked away in her meeting and Alexandra being entertained by her Nanny, Emma was free for the foreseeable future. Therefore, she stood back up and started her mini adventure.

She decided to start with the second floor to the castle as the first floor was home to the entrance hall and ballrooms which Emma had no need to investigate. The first room she found was the armoury. She'd simply opened the door and closed it again, not wanting to disturb anything or, heaven forbid, trip over anything and accidentally impale herself with an axe. Yes, she had the potential for that, there was no denying it. The following rooms on that corridor where guest bedrooms for visitors, so she had no need to look in them as they were all the same.

Soon enough, she'd seen every room on that floor and nothing looking like a library had appeared, so she headed to the next floor. This one she had never frequented either as she had no need. Since moving into the castle, she'd spent her life on the top floor which is where Regina's bedroom, Ally's nursery, dining room and the main sitting room were situated and the floor below where the library was. The only time the blonde had been on a lower floor was when she went between the castle and Henry's quarters, but even then, she'd only been on the staircase.

Floor after floor, she came up with nothing. She waved her hand over the walls trying to find any hidden staircases, but there was clearly nothing to be found. She was tempted to just give up and return to the library. However, when Emma reached the seventh floor, she was half way through her adventure. She headed down the corridor and into the first room and finally hit the jackpot.

The room was small but was filled with a few shelves stacked with old books and there was an old red leather chair and an old wooden table in the corner. Some of the books had their bindings coming undone and most were covered in dust. It seemed no one had been in here in a very long time. There was one book that was calling to her, it had a thick spine which enticed her to the juicy stories that could be written on its pages. It was the least dusty, meaning it was the only one which had been touched recently. Hesitantly, she went to pull the book out of the shelf, but it wouldn't budge. She pulled again, a little harder, and instead of the book tumbling from the shelf, the entire book case flipped around revealing a whole new set of books.

Intrigued, Emma ran her ringers over the new spines, excitement and nerves thrumming in her veins. The books here didn't look like they were works of fiction as the spines showed no title. Some were leather backed and others were of a cheap paper quality. She pulled the first one down gently and saw that it wasn't a book at all; it was a diary.

With bated breath, Emma opened the first page. She knew she shouldn't have, heaven forbid what would happen if these books actually belonged to the Queen, but as soon as she saw the first page, she knew that Regina hadn't written these words; Cora had.

Immediately, she snapped the book shut; she shouldn't be invading the private thoughts of a dead woman. Naturally, Cora wasn't dead at present, she was just banished in Wonderland, but she was in Emma's timeline. However, her curiosity got the better of her, she wanted to know more about the woman who had tried to kill her and her family. The woman who had given away her daughter for her own selfish desire to be better than she was. The master manipulator and sadistic sorceress.

Slowly, Emma opened the diary once more and checked the dates at the front though the blonde really didn't know when this was in the timeline. Despite that, she decided to read it anyway and the more she read, the more her picture of Cora changed. It was warped and twisted by her words of pain and agony. Everything Emma knew about the woman was a lie.

Suddenly, Emma needed to know more. She emptied the hidden shelves of the books and stepped backwards and the bookcase spun round once more and returned to its normal position. The room didn't even look like it had been entered. She moved to the table in the corner of the room and quickly arranged the books into time order. The one she had picked out was in the middle and hadn't made much sense. Now she had them chronologically, she started from the beginning. She sat down in the sole armchair in the room and began to read.

The first book was one of the tatty paper books. It told tales of Cora's childhood as the miller's daughter when really, she was the miller. Her father was a drunk and left her to do all the work, traipsing the flour all over the village. Tiring and unrewarding.

The second book, still tattered, was full of romantic hope. Cora spoke about a far-off Prince called Jonathan who made her weak at the knees and gave her butterflies, a feeling she'd read about but never experienced before. As Emma read more, the more she felt for Cora and Emma realised how hard it must have been. She was stuck between a rock and hard place. Jonathan wasn't a prince, he'd screwed her over and was now threatening her, and Emma's grandmother was actually a bitch. Who knew?

The final entry of the diary was just heart breaking and Emma could barely read the words as they were blurred from the tears that Cora had sobbed while writing it.

 _Diary,_

 _I know now what must be done, yet it brings me the deepest pain to even think of it. I have to abandon my daughter. My Cassandra._

 _Yes, I have named her, but I know she will never carry the name. Only I, and I alone, will ever refer to her as such. My heart breaks at the thought but neither she, nor I can have the life we deserve if I keep her._

 _I know the life of being the miller's daughter and there is no one I hate enough to wish that upon, not even Eva._

 _It has to be done, she deserves so much better than the life I can offer her, but she will always have my love. My darling first born who I will love and cherish forever._

 _It is time._

It was the first entry that Cora didn't sign. There were too many tear stained patches on the parchment that Emma presumed had prevented Cora from continuing as the grief got unbearable. It took Emma all she had not to add to the tears on the page because for the first time ever, she completely understood Regina's mother.

Cora had given Zelena up to give her, her best chance, just like Emma had with Henry and Snow had with Emma. It was a never-ending cycle. There was always something getting in the way and splitting families up. What Emma's grandmother did to Cora was unfair and childish and had caused her pain. Emma couldn't understand how Eva then became the woman that the Kingdom adored and Snow admired when she clearly had a blackened heart to start with. Then again, Snow also adored her father and it was clear King Leopold was just as dark as Eva had been especially when he threw Regina aside after the miscarriage. Then again, everyone idolised their parents if they didn't know any better.

Now knowing how Cora truly felt about Zelena, Emma needed to know her feelings on Regina. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help herself. She found a later diary that detailed about Regina's childhood. Emma didn't want to read everything about her partner's childhood, but she wanted to find entry after Regina was born. She needed to know what Cora's thought process was on the birth of her second daughter. She picked up one of the leather-bound books which showed the progress in the sorceress's life now that she was married to a Prince. Emma found the entry of Cora's wedding to Henry and the story with Rumple but that didn't matter to Emma, she only wanted to see about Regina. She exhaled slowly as she read the page.

 _Diary,_

 _It has happened again. I have been blessed with another beautiful daughter, but this time, everything is different. I can keep her and raise her. My daughter, my precious daughter._

 _Henry wished to name her Valeria after his mother but that is a name I could not accept. My daughter will be powerful, she will rule, she will be a Queen. Regina. My Regina._

 _It still pains me to this day that I do not have my Cassandra. The years have passed but the ache never fades. My beautiful daughters would have been the greatest of sisters but alas, that will not be._

 _My life now is about Regina and making sure she wants for nothing. She will have the life I always desired because she deserves it. She will have ultimate perfection._

 _My Regina._

 _Cora…_

This entry had none of the sorrow that Zelena's entry bore, there were no tear stains and Cora had signed it off. There was a strange taste on Emma's tongue as she read the entry. There was pride on the page and happiness, sure, but there was something else that Emma couldn't quite put her finger on. She thought over Cora and realised it was desperation. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Cora was desperate for Regina to have a good life. She didn't want her to be the Queen so that she could rule everything, no, it was so that she could have the infinite life that Cora thought she deserved.

In reality, Cora just wanted the best for her daughter. Yes, she went the wrong way about it, there was no denying that, but at the end of the day, Cora wanted the best life for both of her daughters.

Emma snapped the diary shut, she couldn't bear to read anymore. She'd read enough. She just hoped that she'd be able to remember what she'd read by the time she went back to Storybrooke. Zelena deserved to know the truth.

Thinking about it, Zelena deserved to read the truth, despite what she had done to Emma and her family. Emma just needed to think of somewhere to place Cora's diaries where Regina would take them to Storybrooke with her. It was simple enough in theory; Emma needed to put Cora's diaries in the Queen's vault. The only issue she faced was hiding them somewhere the Queen wouldn't find them until Emma needed them.

Emma picked up the diaries and flicked her wrist so that she materialised in the crypt. Glancing around, she tried to find the best place to hide the books. She didn't know what Regina used most. In the end, she decided to minimise the books so that they wouldn't take up much space or be seen by the naked eye. Once the spell was cast, Emma placed them in the bottom draw of the far chest, one she recognised from Regina's vault in Storybrooke. She cast a disillusion charm on them so that they looked like a pin cushion, something Regina wouldn't touch and just hoped that she could find them again in the future.

With that done, Emma wanted to get as far away from anything that could possibly remind her of Cora. She also wanted to get away from books for now. It was the first time in her life where they would not bring her an escape.

Her decision was made easily enough. She would join Kala and Alexandra as the Nanny had always said the Queen and Princess were welcome to join them whenever. Emma suspected it was because the Nanny got a little bored whenever Alexandra slept. She had just about stopped needing to be fed during the night, but she still slept like a trooper for most of the day.

Emma was halfway up to the Nursery when a guard rushed over to her.

"Princess Emma, there you are!" He gasped. "We have been looking for you."

Slightly aghast, Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Is everything alright? Is it the Queen or Princess Alexandra?"

The guard shook his head. "The Queen and Princess are well," he replied quickly. "There is someone demanded to see you, your Highness. She says you will know of her. Her name is Red."

"Has she stated her business?" Emma asked, very confused. She had no idea why Red would turn up out of the blue over a month after they had saved Snow and Charming from Maleficent.

"Negative, your Highness," the guard revealed, shaking his head. "She just stated that it's imperative that she sees you."

"Well then, let her up," Emma said as she knew Red wouldn't take no as an answer. "I'll be in her Majesty's sitting room."

The guard nodded and headed back to the entrance hall where Ruby had been forced to stay while the guards had found Emma and as she went to the sitting room. As confused as she was about Ruby's sudden appearance, Emma was a little gutted that she couldn't go spend time with Alexandra as she'd gotten her hopes up. Spending time with Alexandra was one of her favourite things to do.

Once she entered the sitting room, Emma set about lighting the fire and producing a tray of tea and moments later, the guard returned with Ruby.

"Announcing Red of the woodlands," the guard proclaimed.

Emma stood from where she'd been sitting on the sofa. "Come in, Red." Ruby slowly entered the sitting room and Emma turned back to the guard. "Thank you, Pedro, you may leave us." The warning was clear in her voice that the guard needed to leave the room but to stay outside should Emma need him. She knew she wouldn't, but it was for show.

Ruby stood nervously before Emma as if she hadn't quite planned what would happen if she was allowed to see the Princess.

"Take a seat," Emma offered, indicating the sofa. Emma herself sat back down and turned to Red who slowly sat down. "How can I help you?"

Still, Ruby looked slightly anxious before she centred herself and her eyes narrowed towards the Princess. "I have tried to come up with the reason why the Queen's wife would save her enemy, not just once, but twice. I can't sleep with not knowing. There has to be something more to play in this. You even knew about my cloak and no one, I mean _no one_ knows about that. It's the only cloak of its kind, it cannot be found in a book. I want to know the truth."

Emma took in the wolf in and sighed. "You wouldn't believe the truth if I told you," Emma said eventually.

"Try me." Ruby picked up the tea in front of her and settled back ready for Emma to begin talking. "I'm waiting."

Emma had always admired Ruby's courage and now was no different. The blonde took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a second before deciding it was time. She opened her eyes and looked the wolf directly in hers.

"The reason I saved Snow is simple. Snow White is my mother," she revealed slowly.

Ruby's tea cup slipped through her hands and smashed on the floor, spilling hot tea everywhere. "WHAT?"

 _A/N: Sorry I've not been able to get another chapter up until now, I've been super busy. Hope this makes up for it! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Love, Emss xx_


	34. Chapter 34

The two ignored the spilt tea. Ruby couldn't keep her eyes away from the Princess and Emma daren't move. Within seconds, Ruby was laughing, laughing loudly.

"That's a good one, your Highness," Ruby cackled, as she wiped a tear away. "You know, for a second, I actually believed you."

"So you should," Emma replied calmly. "I'm telling the truth. I'm from the future."

Ruby's jaw dropped in shock. "But you can't be…"

Emma took a deep breath. "But I am. That's why I had to save her. I haven't been born yet so I need to do everything in my power to stop anything from happening to her."

Ruby seemed to be at a loss with words. "I just…" She was completely bewildered.

"I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Emma reminded her, a small smile gracing her hips.

With another sigh, Emma waved her hand and cleared up the spilt tea and the broken teacup. The newly fixed cup landed softly back on the table and the teapot raised to refill it. Emma sat back and waited for Red to say something, _anything_.

The wolf was silent for a while, Emma could see the cogs turning in her head as she tried to comprehend what Emma had said.

"If you really are Snow's daughter," Ruby said slowly, "How are you here and why are you married to her enemy? Surely Snow's enemy should also be yours?"

"Which question would you like me to answer first?" Emma asked, a hint of a laugh in her voice. Ruby simply looked at her and Emma understood…she wanted an answer to all of the above. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "A spell went badly wrong in my timeline and I got shunted back to the past, that's how I'm here. I'm married to the Queen because we fell in love." Well, they weren't married but Emma didn't have the effort to explain it all. "I have no agenda there. I know Regina from the future where we are definitely not together, but she loves me here and that makes me so happy. Regina started off as my enemy, I guess, but not for the reasons you think. I don't grow up here. Snow sends me to another Realm when I'm born. You all end up there too and I have to find you and save you."

"Snow would never do that to her child," Red said vehemently and Emma couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Emma had said that she was from the future and fell in love with the Evil Queen, and all Ruby could focus on was that Snow wouldn't send her daughter away.

"Ruby, look…"

"Who's Ruby?"

"Shit," Emma muttered. She'd been trying hard not to use Ruby's cursed name.

"Wait, am I Ruby?" Red asked, her head cocked to the side, smirking in amusement.

"Yes, that's your name where I'm from," Emma replied slowly. "Everyone has an alternate personality, I guess."

"Do I even want to know?"

Emma chuckled and shook her head. "Probably not." She sighed again. "Look, you can't tell anyone any of what I've told you. Especially Snow and Charming."

"Does the Queen know?" Red asked, surprising the blonde. "That you're from the future and that you're Snow's daughter?"

"Yeah, why?"

Red looked significantly impressed. "I'm surprised you haven't been burnt to a crisp."

Emma barked out a laugh. "She's not what you think," she said softly, "but she wasn't impressed. Especially when I said she couldn't kill her because I haven't been born yet."

"So as soon as Snow gives birth to you and sends you away, Regina will try and kill her?" Red asked slowly.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen," Emma revealed quietly.

"Surely you do if you're from the future?!"

The blonde was quiet for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say. "I knew the story before I came back to the past, but since I've been here, I've kinda, maybe, changed everything?" She said, her voice raising in shame. She then became serious. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what's going to happen now because I honestly do not know."

Ruby slumped back in her seat, finally understanding everything. "Oh."

 _Oh, indeed,_ Emma thought to herself.

oOoOo

Time passed and before Emma knew it, Alexandra was turning one and the Kingdom was hosting an honorary birthday party for her. Emma looked on from the balcony in the palace with the new one year old in her arms in complete amazement, but then again, Emma realised that the Kingdom didn't need much to celebrate. They had had a beautiful snowy winter and the villages had all come together to host a party to celebrate. When they had a particularly scorching summer, the same scenes were also seen. Therefore, the honorary birthday party wasn't _really_ a surprise to the Princess, but she admired it nonetheless.

So much had happened in the past year. Emma and Regina grew even closer if that was even possible. They hadn't particularly argued either to say that Hook was now living at the castle. He'd been given a room on a lower level of the castle and told he could use the library but wasn't to go wandering where he could accidentally ruin something. He sometimes joined them for dinner but more often than not, he kept to himself, which Regina was rather pleased about.

As Emma has suggested, Regina had given him a fake hand and they had tweaked his dress sense, wearing more cotton than leather so that people wouldn't think he was the infamous pirate that he was. So far, it seemed to be working. The only thing Emma was slightly against was his flirtation with Lina, Henry's maid. Emma could see it in his eyes that he was falling for the young maid and she him. It would only cause more heartbreak when he and Emma eventually returned to the future, but for now, she daren't get in his way.

The most shocking part of it all was how taken Ally was with the pirate. She would beam whenever he walked into the room and the feeling seemed to be very mutual. Hook would come up to talk to Emma but most of the time, he only ventured to the top of the castle to visit Ally.

To Emma's utter surprise, she had also started spending more time with Ruby, using the wolf as an insider to her parents. Ruby would advise Emma what Snow and Charming were up to and Emma would say if that was okay for them to go ahead with or if Ruby needed to lead them astray from their plans. Apparently, Snow had wanted to charge on Regina's castle and Ruby was struggling to come up with a valid reason why that would be a bad idea. Emma's suggestion had been simple, Alexandra. Ruby reported that Snow hadn't known about the baby and as soon as she knew about the princess, she promised to halt all attacks on the castle, well that was until Alexandra was a little older.

Alexandra was blossoming and looking more and more like Emma every day. Her tawny hair had brightened to a shiny blonde, which was Emma's natural colour without the highlights she had put through her hair. Something that was kept up with a spell she had found. Ally's eyes were also a bright green that was the same shade as Emma's and Regina couldn't say no to her at all.

The princess could now walk unaided. The first time she'd stood up and taken a step, Emma thought she was going to pass out with excitement and she was ecstatic that Regina was also there, that they could share this milestone together. The baby's first word was naturally "mama" and she'd pointed to Regina before then pointing to Emma and saying "mama" too which made their hearts melt. She was now distinguishing them apart with Emma now "mama" and Regina was "momma". Both were utterly thrilled at it.

The only thing that was not going very smoothly was Emma's relationship with Maleficent. Regina had tried to have dinner with the three of them again, even with Hook and Henry as a buffer, but it was still ridiculously tense and uncomfortable. The blondes made it through the meal without killing each other, but it was very clear that Emma wasn't okay with the dragon.

This was about to be tested once more as the dragon was invited to Alexandra's first birthday party. It wasn't going to be such a big party, well, even the word party was probably a bit of a stretch. It was simply going to be a meal amongst friends and some post dinner entertainment. Regina had even allowed Esmeralda and Laverne to join as Hook wanted Lina to be present and Emma had argued that it was unfair that she was allowed when the others weren't. However, if Regina was uncomfortable with having so many members of the 'help' joining them, she didn't show it.

As per usual, Maleficent decided to arrive in style. Emma was still standing on the balcony with Alexandra when suddenly a large winged beast appeared in short distance of the Queen's castle. Immediately, the guards on duty rushed forward. The beast threw its head back before suddenly surrounding itself in a cloud. Moments later, Maleficent stepped forward, her head still thrown back as she chortled at the reaction.

Emma glared down from above and clutched Alexandra tighter to her.

"Mama!" Ally called as Emma was holding her a fraction tight.

"Sorry, my darling," Emma said quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning away from the balcony, returning to the dining room where Regina was waiting.

"Mama!" Ally cried again once they were back in the dining room. "Down!" Emma smiled and did as requested, placing Alexandra down on the floor who immediately made her way to where Hook was standing by the table. "Killi!"

"Ally!" Hook cried as he picked up the little girl and swung her round happily.

Emma smiled at the scene before turning back to the Queen.

"She's here," she groaned once she was in speaking distance. Her reaction clearly revealed who _she_ was. Plus the fact that Maleficent was the only one yet to arrive.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Cheer up, darling," she said before pecking Emma on her cheek in hopes to calm her. "It won't be for long. Besides, I thought the two of you were getting on better now?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Yeah, sure," she scoffed before waltzing up to the table and stealing a handful of crackers that were in a dish ready. "Hey!" She gasped when she felt a zap to her hand. She looked up and saw Regina had her hand outstretched and a devilish smirk gracing her lips. Now that Ally wasn't breastfeeding, Regina was able to use her magic again and she was loving it to no end. "I thought we said no magic to cause pain to either of us." Emma pouted making Regina chuckle.

"I told you no stealing before the guests arrive, we're still missing one." Regina motioned to the room. Lina was stood beside Hook and Alexandra, and Esmeralda, Laverne and Henry were huddled together talking too.

"All the important ones are here," Emma sassed which made Regina raise her eyebrow.

"Play nice, Em," Regina said calmly before looping her arms around Emma's waist and whispering in her ear, "and maybe I'll play nice with you later." She licked the shell of the blonde's ear, something that made her putty in the Queen's hands and Regina knew it.

"Yes, your Majesty," Emma breathed before sealing their lips together, ignoring everyone in the room as she slipped her tongue between the Queen's sultry lips, trying to deepen the kiss, but they were rudely interrupted.

"Now that is definitely not the most welcome sight to be greeted with," said Maleficent as she strolled through the door.

"Mally!" Alexandra cried.

The dragon turned to the princess and beamed before crossing the room and slipping her out of Hook's arms, much to the pirate's dismay.

"Hello, birthday girl!" Maleficent greeted, placing a kiss on the baby's forehead. "Would you like your present?"

Alexandra nodded, and it baffled both Emma and Regina at how clever the baby was at just a year old. She was showing the intellect of an eighteen-month-old at least, maybe even two. Both mothers had looked into it, but there wasn't much information written on it as magical babies were so rare. However, what they had looked up, showed that she had a boosted brain, due to the magic. Emma had insisted Ally was just so clever as Emma with her big Harvard degree. The point fell flat when Regina hadn't known what Harvard was.

Emma was brought back to the moment when Maleficent shuffled Alexandra in her arms so that her left arm was free. She flicked her wrist and a soft cuddly teddy dragon materialised in her hand. The toy dragon was the exact replica of Maleficent when she was in her other form.

"So you won't forget about me," Mal muttered and pressed another kiss against the baby's head. Emma tried to be okay with the fact that Ally loved the dragon, but she wasn't, no matter what.

"Tah!" Ally said, not hearing the concern in Maleficent's voice as she cuddled her new toy close. The baby then turned in the dragon's arms until she saw her mothers. "Momma, Mama!" She cried as she waved the teddy at them. She didn't yet have the vocabulary to describe what was going on.

"Wow, have you got a new teddy?" Regina asked as she walked over to where the dragon and princess where stood. Ally nodded. "She's very pretty, isn't she?" The princess nodded again.

In an attempt to bring the attention off of the dragon, and thus keep her jealously levels down, Emma stepped forward. "Now the final guest has arrived, shall we eat?"

There was a muttered agreement and everyone moved towards the table to be seated. As usual, Regina sat at the head with Emma to her left, but this time, Henry allowed Maleficent to sit on Regina's right and he took the seat beside her. Emma had to refrain from glaring at her father in law for betraying her like that. He knew just how much Emma and Maleficent clashed, but he still allowed them to be sat opposite each other. Hook sat to Emma's left with Lina beside him. Esmeralda sat beside Henry with Laverne on her other side. Alexandra sat in her highchair in between Regina and Emma so that they could take turns feeding her.

Once everyone had sat down, Lumiere brought out the carafes of water and wine for them to share.

"You don't happen to have any rum, do you, mate?" Hook asked as he always did and just like always, Lumiere produced a small flask just for the pirate, making him beam happily. "Thanks."

Also, like usual, Regina glared at the pirate's choice of drink and silently reminded him not to drink too much. Like he would anyway, he valued having at least one hand, his head and, not to mention, his life.

When everyone had a drink in their goblets, Regina lifted her glass. "To Alexandra's first birthday," she toasted.

"And to many more!" Henry added and the group raised their drinks and clinked them together before digging into their food.

There was an array of everything. There were fish dishes suited to Hook, and steaks cooked to different finishes to satisfy Maleficent who loved her steak rare and Henry who preferred his medium to well done. There were many a chicken dish which Emma and Laverne lapped up eagerly. There was also a selection of vegetable side dishes like cheesy potatoes, requested especially by Lina, and roasted carrots and parsnips of which Esmeralda was a fan. The desserts were made up of a chocolate gateau and an apple tart which the Queen was very exited about as her apples were blooming this year.

Overall, the meal was a complete success. In amongst bites, Emma and Regina took turns in feeding Ally small mouthfuls of potato and little bits of chicken and carrot. She even tried a little bit of a Brussel sprout but spat it out immediately.

"Like Mama, like daughter," Emma chuckled as she too wasn't a fan of the small vegetable.

"I'll keep persuading her," Regina replied with a smile.

Once the meal was over, it was time for some entertainment. Regina had brought in a well-known singer called Yzma which also baffled Emma. She'd always thought Yzma was a good for nothing royal wannabe from the Emperor's New Groove, but alas, no. She was just a singer and was significantly younger than Emma presumed.

After a couple of songs, Ally showed signs of needing her diaper changing so Emma picked up her daughter and took her to the closest washroom and began changing her. She was still perfect and kept still for her mother.

Soon enough, Emma picked up her daughter and they left the room.

"Mama down!" Ally cried. More often than not, Ally wanted to walk by herself, at least for a few minutes before tiring and wanting to be carried again.

As requested, Emma placed her daughter on the floor who immediately started plodding away. Emma looked away for a few seconds as a she realised one of the torches on the wall wasn't lit. She quickly waved her hand and the flame relit. As she took another step, she saw that the next torch was also out. Looking around, she realised all the torches in the corridor weren't lit and there was a cool breeze in the air.

Panicking, she turned around just as something large and winged flew through the hall and Alexandra screamed.

"Ally!" Emma yelled. She started running but the beast cut her off, pushing her down to the floor, pinning her arms to her side, preventing her from using her magic.

Emma tried to figure out what the creature was, but she couldn't tell. It was large and stank to no end. Emma tried to wriggle her hand free to try and fireball the creature, but it was as if it had been forewarned of that and had her right arm pressed tightly to her side so that she couldn't use it.

"Mama!" The princess cried again as she saw her mother being trapped.

"Ally, run!" Emma instructed, hoping her daughter would understand. The blonde had no idea if there were any other creatures around, she couldn't hear them, but then again, she hadn't heard the one on top of her approaching.

"Mama?" Ally called uncertainly. Instead of listening to her mother, she took a step closer to where her mother lay trapped.

"Ally, please," Emma begged but the child didn't understand.

The creature shifted and he stared into Emma's eyes. It looked like she was looking into the depths of hell as the black bore into the green. Then suddenly, she gasped out as her mind was filled with every unhappy and terrifying moment of her life. She saw her first family dropping her off back at the foster home. She saw the scary foster fathers beating her, the terrifying foster mothers screaming at her for doing something wrong. Her time in prison floated into view, along with it the despair of being left and the grief she felt as she heard the door shut behind the doctor after giving birth to Henry. Then there was Henry lying in a hospital bed, tubes everywhere after eating the apple turnover before the mental tape switched and Emma was suddenly face to face with the ogre back in the enchanted forest.

She opened her mouth as if to scream out, but the creature seemed to be a step ahead of her and reach its claw out and its scaly grasp gripped around her throat. It pressed down, cutting off Emma's air supply. She could barely get a breath out, let alone tell Ally to run away once more as the young princess still hadn't moved. Emma's mind was finally cleared of the terrifying memories, but now it was replaced with flashes of light and white spots as she started to lack oxygen. She'd gone from one nightmare to another.

Ally was crying, Emma could hear that, but the princess' curiosity was too high, she was too much like her blonde mother that way. Clearly, she had an instinct to help, but she didn't know what to do, even if she was intelligent beyond her years.

The beast pushed harder on Emma's throat, its repulsive breath brushing against her face. Emma saw her vision blackening as she struggled to breathe. Try as she might, she couldn't get the creature off of her. She felt like she was about to die and she hated it would be when her daughter was watching and without telling Regina that she loved her one last time.

Before she knew it, there was a bang and a flash and the creature was thrown off her. Emma could barely remain conscious long enough to see her saviour and it wasn't who she expected it to be in a long shot.

 _A/N: Who's come to rescue Emma? Let me know who you think it could be!_


	35. Chapter 35

Emma managed to keep her eyes open for a second and recognised the blonde hair that dazzled in the light of the beam of magic from her hand before she passed out completely.

Maleficent.

"Get away from them!" Maleficent growled to the creature, her eyes flashed yellow, allowing her dragon magic to flow through her veins. Her arm reached out as she magically clutched the monster by the throat. She flexed her hand, squeezing tighter. "Leave!" With one final crush, she released the beast who flew out of the nearby window and into the distance.

Maleficent then ran over to Alexandra and picked her up.

"Ally, are you hurt?" She asked quickly, scanning the infant's body for signs of injury.

Alexandra shook her head but continued sobbing, before resting her head on Maleficent's shoulder.

"Good," Mal murmured before making her way over to where Emma lay.

She placed Ally back on the floor and told her to be careful before she knelt down beside the other blonde and ran her hand over her body, assessing her injuries, but only found her neck to be damaged. The bruise was already forming, a harsh black against her pale skin, but she was slowly breathing. She was alive. The dragon placed gently placed her hand over Emma's neck and began healing the bruise and the internal damage.

"What's going on?!" Demanded a voice from behind the dragon.

"Momma!" Ally called and Maleficent realised they'd been joined by Regina.

"Emma!" The Queen gasped when she realised that the blonde wasn't moving. She rushed over to the group on the floor and Ally immediately asked to be picked up by her brunette mother.

"What happened?" Regina asked as she knelt to the floor beside her love with Ally resting her head in her mother's neck. She was still crying silently. Regina kissed her head before looking at Maleficent, waiting for an answer.

"There was an infant Chernabog," Maleficent said calmly, not looking away from the blonde in front of her as she carried on trying to heal her. "I've only ever seen an adult but this one had darker eyes, shorter horns and a smaller build, but there was no denying what it was. I have no idea why it was here. I just came out to the bathroom and saw him strangling her. I was too late to prevent any damage."

Regina breathed out a sob as she stroked Emma's hair. "Oh god, Emma." She looked up to Maleficent. "We need to move her to our room where she'll be more comfortable."

The dragon nodded and stopped her ministrations on Emma's neck. The two women stood and Regina passed Ally over to the dragon. The baby was slightly reluctant to let go of her mother but with Regina's soft instruction, Ally let go and allowed herself to be passed over.

With free arms, Regina waved her hand over the blonde's limp body and raised her off the ground. Maleficent followed as Regina enchanted Emma's body to float along side her to their bedroom.

Once inside, she gently lowered the blonde onto the bed and took a seat beside her. Maleficent perched beside the Queen.

"Can you continue the spell?" Regina asked quietly. "Your healing magic is better than mine."

The dragon nodded and passed Ally back to Regina, the child settled into her mother's neck once more. Maleficent then reached out once more and softly pressed against Emma's skin and continued her ministrations from earlier, healing her neck, section by section. From her voice box to the skin surrounding it until she was done.

Before long, the blonde started to stir.

"Mama!" Ally cried as she saw her mother waking up.

Ally's cry seemed to do the trick. Emma's eyes slowly fluttered opened. The green eyes met her favourite chocolate brown.

"Regina," she husked, her voice still not on hundred percent healed.

"Shush," Regina cooed to her love. "Save your voice."

As usual, Emma didn't listen to her. "What happened?"

Regina looked pointedly at Maleficent, silently asking the dragon to answer the question as she knew more information than the Queen.

Emma was surprised to see the dragon still there. She was a little apprehensive to see her in their bedroom, but she slowly took in how they were sitting. Ally was cradled into Regina's neck with the Queen's arms wrapped tightly around her. Maleficent's hand was still slightly outstretched. It didn't take long for Emma to conclude that the dragon had been the one to heal her.

"There was a junior Chernabog," Maleficent answered slowly. "It was sitting on you, strangling you. It had your hands pressed to your side. You couldn't fight it off. I blocked Alexandra from its view and blasted it away. I don't know how it got in. Regina," she turned to look at the Queen, "I'd strengthen your enchantments on the castle to prevent it. I'll show you how."

Regina nodded in thanks.

Emma ignored the last part as she took in her daughter who was now reaching out for her blonde mother. Slowly, Emma sat up in the bed. She looked around, slightly confused at the surroundings but that didn't matter at the moment. She held out her arms and Regina immediately handed the baby over.

"Ally!" Emma breathed as she held her. "You're okay," Emma murmured into her hair as she cuddled her close. "I'm so sorry you almost got hurt." She pressed a kiss to her forehead before slowly turning to the dragon and as much as she hated that she was about say the following, there was no denying that the words were needed. "Thank you so much, Maleficent. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there. You saved us." She then tilted her head in slight confusion. "How did you know?"

The dragon bit her lip. "I didn't," she admitted. "I was just going to the washroom when I saw the beast on top of you and did what came naturally. I needed to protect Ally," her face flushed as she added, "and protect you."

Emma's eyes widened in shock. "Me?"

Maleficent sighed and she reached out to stoke Ally's hair, avoiding Emma's eye. Ally was now leaning into her mother, her thumb in her mouth. Something Emma and Regina were trying to prevent but allowed her to indulge on occasion. This is definitely one after the traumatic scene she'd just witnessed.

"Of course," Maleficent said softly. "I know I overstepped with Regina," she nodded to the Queen who stiffened a fraction, "when Ally was first born and I'm very sorry about that, you know I am. I want us to be friends. Regina is my best friend," Regina relaxed and smiled at the dragon, "and I absolutely adore Alexandra." She bopped the baby softly on her nose making her giggle. The sound lightened Emma's heart. "You're a part of their lives, of course I'd protect you too."

Emma smiled and took a deep breath. "You know what, Maleficent? This might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Regina practically beamed when Emma slowly reached forward and held her hand out. Maleficent hesitantly shook her hand. It was a start for the two. They weren't best friends, far from it, but the dragon had saved both Emma and her daughter. Emma owed her, her life. Friendship was the least she could do.

Maleficent smiled hesitantly before standing up from the bed. "I'd better head back and tell everyone what happened. Shall I take the birthday girl with me?"

Regina glanced to the baby princess who was still in Emma's arms. "Do you want to go back to the party with Mally or stay here with me and Mama?" She asked as she reached out and tickled her.

Ally giggled at her mother's actions. "Stop, Momma!" She cried.

The Queen stopped tickling her daughter who was squealing in Emma's arms. "So?"

Alexandra seemed to ponder for a few seconds before pointing to Mal. "Mally," she decided. "I want Killi!"

Emma couldn't help the chuckle when she saw the discomfort on Regina's face. She was still rather displeased at how close the pirate was with their daughter. However, she didn't say anything as she watched Emma place the baby in Maleficent's arms.

"Say bye bye to Mama and Mommy," Mal said to the baby.

"Babyeeee!" Ally called before pointing to the door. "Goooooo!"

The adults laughed as Maleficent left the room leaving the couple alone.

As soon as the door shut behind the dragon and their daughter, Emma pulled Regina down until she was lying on top of her and sealed their lips together.

"Wha–"

Regina was cut off as Emma kissed her once again.

"I love you," the blonde said solemnly when she pulled back. "I was so scared that I was going to die without saying that to you one last time. And I'm so sorry that Ally almost got hurt and there was nothing I could do." Emma shivered as she remembered the flashes of her past and her breathing increased.

"Breathe," Regina said gently as she leant forward and kissed her softly in an attempt to calm her down. Emma accepted the distraction. "You're okay. You did what you could."

"But if Maleficent wasn't there–"

"But she was," Regina cut her off before Emma could finish her statement. "That's what matters. Alexandra's safe. _You're_ safe. That's what's important to me." She kissed her once more before smirking. "And now, you're friends with Maleficent! Who would have thought? I'd say that means you've behaved." Her eyes darkened a fraction as she licked her lips. She leant forward until she was whispering in the blonde's ear. "You may get a reward later." She nipped the blonde's ear.

"I vaguely remember something like that," she teased before pulled Regina's face to her and kissing her passionately, her tongue quickly seeking the Queen's which she obliged immediately. "But I'd rather have my reward now."

Their hands started wandering and moans and gasps were echoing around the room. Emma was enjoying the attention Regina was paying to her neck with little nips that were soothed quickly by the Queen's tongue lightly licking over her skin.

As the blonde was the stronger of the two, she was easily able to flip them over so that Regina was now looking up at her love instead of down, before she started attacking Regina's neck with just as much fervour. She sucked hard enough to have Regina's hip bucking up against her, causing a delicious subtle friction against where she needed, but not hard enough to leave a mark.

"We…we need to get back," Regina husked regretfully but made no attempt to bat the blonde off her.

"They won't notice we're not back yet," Emma replied as she continued her attention. She'd moved her lips from Regina's neck up to her ear, nibbling on her lobe between her teeth before kissing the sweet spot underneath her ear. She didn't stay in the same place fore more than a few seconds, putting Regina deliciously on the edge. "Let me make love to you."

Regina moaned at the words, unintentionally bucking her hips once more. Emma smirked in delight causing Regina to reach up and cup the back of her head, bringing her forward for another kiss to get rid of the smirk gracing the blonde's face.

The Queen didn't respond but opened her legs wider and Emma couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. She kissed Regina's already kiss-bruised lips once more and was about to reach under the Queen's dress to find her prize when the door slammed open.

"Emma, are you okay!?" Henry cried as he burst in.

"SWAN!" Hook called as he followed. Both men were out of breath from sprinting.

Immediately, the two on the bed flew apart from each other, their breaths heaving, faces flushing in embarrassment. Despite how turned on both had been mere seconds ago, seeing Henry enter the room was a major turn off.

Henry covered his eyes quickly as he realised what was going on. Hook simply raised his eyebrow and bit his lip as he tried not to laugh.

"So, you've recovered from your attack then, Swan?" The pirate teased. Emma pointed at him and sent a zap down his good arm. "Ouch!"

The blonde smirked before glancing at her father in law and bit her lip, trying not to laugh at his embarrassment. She refused to look at Regina who was probably even more mortified that her father had interrupted them.

Clearing her throat, Emma finally spoke, "Henry, you can stop hiding now."

Henry did so, slowly bringing his arms down. His face was flushed in embarrassment. "Maleficent told us what happened," he revealed. "I just can't believe it. Are you alright, Emma?" Concern was etched all over his face and Emma's heart filled with even more love for him.

"I think we both know the answer to that one, Sir," Hook joked as he raised his eyebrow to the blonde. Emma groaned before sending another zap his way, stronger than the previous one. He held his hand and hook in the air. "Alright, I surrender." He laughed. "Jeez, Swan, that was painful."

"As it should be," Regina said, speaking for the first time. She reached over to Emma's hand and squeezed it in thanks before lacing their fingers together.

Emma glanced to the side and smiled at the gesture before looking back at Henry. "I'm okay," she answered, pretending that Hook hadn't commented between Henry's question and her answer. "I mean, I wasn't expecting that…thing," she couldn't remember the name of it, "to suddenly turn up."

"Me neither," Henry commented. "I thought the castle was protected from things like that?" He turned to Regina to answer his question.

"It's supposed to be," she said. "Mother placed many a charm on the castle and added more after the King died and continued to add more." She sighed and Emma squeezed her hand back, giving her some silent support as she knew how much Regina hated talking about her mother, especially in front of Henry. The man in question looked a little tense. Emma made a mental note to ask him what his deal was with Cora was at some point. "Though I doubt she would have left any room for a Chernabog to get through, not even a junior one."

"What's the difference between the two?" Killian asked.

Regina raised her eyebrow. "One is bigger," she said simply.

The pirate rolled his eyes. "I got that, but what do they do?"

Even Emma turned to look at Regina then, she wasn't actually sure what the creature had wanted to do to her. She got even more worried when she saw how tense Regina became at the question. The Queen glanced at her father who just nodded in encouragement, silently telling her to tell the truth.

"They seek out the heart with the greatest potential of darkness," she revealed reluctantly, not meeting the blonde's eye.

Emma couldn't help the gasp at the revelation. She was the product of True Love. How could she possibly have a great potential for darkness? Quickly, she shook her head to try and distract herself from what was going on.

"That's not important," she said instead. "How did it even get in?"

"Someone must have tampered with the charms," Killian said.

Regina was impressed that the captain actually had a brain before sobering. She grimaced. "I don't know who could have taken it down."

The pirate raised his eyebrow. "Please, who's the only one with the magic to break down the Queen's castle protection charms?" He asked rhetorically. "Maleficent is on your side, Ursula is miles away and Emma wouldn't do such a thing like that." He looked around, waiting for someone to answer.

It seemed only Emma was on his wavelength. "Rumplestiltskin," she growled, her voice low and gravely.

Regina gasped as it hit her and she glanced at Emma.

"It's a warning," she realised. "For that stupid curse of his. We still have another four years at least!"

"Like he cares," Hook sighed. "You can't win against him."

"He won't back down from a deal early," Emma reminded him. "He might be a twisted piece of shit, but he won't do that."

Henry sighed. "I don't like this," he murmured.

"No one does," Emma added. "But it has to be done, otherwise none of this will happen. If Regina doesn't cast the curse, Alexandra will never be born."

Emma's statement hung heavy around the room, no one knew how to reply.

oOoOo

There was definitely a mood shift when everyone returned to the main room. Though the mood in turn could not be named. Perhaps it was because there were too many to choose from.

Maleficent and Emma were chatting somewhat amicably, both sharing amusing tales at the Queen's expense. Regina had left the two of them when she heard the topic. Emma had been worried that she was annoyed but Maleficent pointed out the subtle twitch on corner of her lips showing she did find it a little amusing. Emma was tempted to ask the dragon what she knew about Chernabogs, specially after the revelation earlier, but she didn't know if she wanted to know more. Besides, she couldn't exactly tell the dragon the reason behind her confusion as to why the creature would want her because of being the product of True Love. She and Regina had decided that it was best that the dragon didn't know the truth about the blonde. Well, for now anyway.

Regina was talking to her father. Ally was fast asleep in her arms, not surprising after the traumatic evening. The baby also didn't want to be away from her mothers any longer. She had been in Maleficent's arms when Regina and Emma returned and had reached out to the Queen immediately. Regina had suggested that Nanny Kala came to take Ally to bed when she showed signs of getting sleepy, but she had just cried hysterically until Regina assured her that she could stay which is how she ended up asleep in Regina's arm while she spoke to Henry. Emma didn't know what they were talking about as they were too far away, but it didn't look good. Regina was frowning at whatever her father was saying and shaking her head.

Hook was stood in a far corner with Lina and Esmeralda. His non-hooked arm was wrapped around Lina's waist and the small woman was laughing at everything he was saying. When Emma glanced over, she couldn't help but smile fondly, happy that her friend was actually finally enjoying his time in the past and had stopped pestering her to find the way back to the future.

The best thing to have happened since everyone returned was seeing Laverne and Yzma sitting in the corner giggling with a bottle of wine in front of them. Emma had seen Regina's eyebrow raised in their direction, but when she'd just shrugged it off, Emma could finally put her finger on the mood change. It was to do with Regina.

She was distracted, tense. Something was whirring around in that royal head of hers and Emma couldn't figure it out. She started to make her excuses the dragon to leave her company but Maleficent decided it was time for her to leave anyway and the two made their way over to the Queen. Maleficent bid her goodbye, giving her a hug and kissing the sleeping baby on the forehead. She then nodded to Emma who nodded back and smiled. It was still far too early for an affectionate goodbye between the blondes. Once said, Maleficent flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"You know, I think we should follow her lead," Regina murmured as she glanced down to Ally who was still in her arms. She had cast a lightening charm on her so that she wouldn't feel how heavy she was getting after an hour in her arms, but her arms were starting to feel stiff from being in the same position. "This one should be in bed."

"I couldn't agree more," Emma admitted before calling loudly that the party had come to an end.

Everyone bid each other goodnight and Henry left the room with Yzma on his arm as he was assigned with taking her back to her rooms for the evening. He also had Laverne on his other arm as she was unable to walk unaided. Esmeralda and Lina just followed laughing. The former was staying at the caste that evening so that she didn't have to walk back to the village alone so late.

"Good night, ladies," Hook said charmingly before also leaving the room.

With a smile at each other, the Queen and her Princess walked out of the room, toward their bedroom. They stopped momentarily in Alexandra's room to place her down in her crib. After both mothers pressed a soft kiss to her head, they walked hand in hand back to their room.

As soon as they entered, something was off. The room was colder than expected. There were no torches lit despite the strict instruction that they mustn't ever be put out. The fire was also bare, but there was a trail of smoke lingering, meaning that it had only recently been extinguished.

Then suddenly, there was a lilting giggle heard behind them that made them shiver in fear. Emma knew exactly who that voice belonged to before she turned and saw him.

"I hope you didn't forget about little old me, Dearies."


	36. Chapter 36

"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded as she span around as quick as flash to see the imp sitting at her vanity, his arm aloft in his signature position, as if he belonged there.

"That's not a very warm welcome, is it, Regina?" Rumple teased in the same voice that made Emma's skin crawl.

"You let that _thing_ into my castle that attacked Emma," Regina snapped as if it was obvious, "why would I greet you kindly?"

The Dark One's eyes glinted with mirth. "Did you enjoy my gift?" He asked, looking directly at Emma.

"Oh yeah, I love getting almost strangled to death at my daughter's first birthday party," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm which was accompanied with a roll of her eyes. "I can't wait to see what you've got in store for her second birthday."

Rumple didn't even look remotely embarrassed. Instead, his eyes twinkled as they always did. "I'll see what I can do."

"Enough!" Regina cried. "Answer my first question. Why are you here?"

"I was just reminding you of our deal, Regina," he said, faking innocence. "I didn't want you to forget." He feigned looking at his grotty nails. "I thought perhaps with _her_ ," he didn't look away from his hand, but it was obvious to whom he was referring, "out of the way, you would be better focussed on the curse. You'd only have the baby to concentrate on, but she'd be out of the way when the curse was cast."

The meaning behind his words hit Emma before it hit the Queen. She saw red. Despite knowing who she was up against, she didn't care. Emma shot her hand forward, cupping her fingers as if they were clutched around someone's throat. Much to hers and the others in the room's surprise, the Dark One flew into the back wall, gasping at the invisible fist around his throat. His dark face deepened as he struggled to breathe. His eyes were full of confusion that Emma's spell was actually working.

"Don't you _ever_ say something like that about our daughter again!" She screamed and hoped that it wouldn't wake up Ally whose nursery was only one room down the hallway. "Regina would _never_ use Alexandra for her curse, even if her life depended on it."

However, it seemed like the Dark One wasn't listening. His movements were less frantic now, his body going limp as Emma was strangling the life out of him. Emma couldn't actually believe that this was working. She knew a Dark One could only be killed with someone stabbing them with the dagger, yet here she was, strangling the life out of Rumplestiltskin as if his dagger didn't matter. The thought seemed to satisfy her.

"Emma, you're killing him," Regina said quietly.

"Good!" Emma snarled, flexing her hand a fraction tighter until she felt Regina's gentle hand on top of hers.

"Stop," the Queen said, still speaking softly as to not spook the blonde. "This isn't you."

At those words, Emma's hand retracted. She pulled into back to her side as if it burnt and watched as Rumple crashed to the floor, clutching his throat.

Emma stared into the distance, not paying any attention as the Dark One coughed loudly, breathing deeply, trying to fill his longs with oxygen that Emma had just depraved him from.

"Perhaps this is why the Chernabog sought me out," she murmured before glancing down at her hand to see that she was shaking.

"Exactly!" Rumple husked throatily as he slowly got to his feet. "Why else would I try and be rid of you?" His eyes flashed dangerously but he made no step forward as he was far too weak. "You could outdo me with how dark your heart could be!"

"But it's not!" Emma snapped. "How can it be possible when I have True Love?" She almost hated herself for sounding so much like her mother in that moment. "I am the product of True Love. That runs through my veins! Surely someone who has that does not have the potential for darkness?"

"The loss of a True Love has the potential for everything," Rumple snarled as he finally took a step forward. "It means nothing. Your heart still has potential to be a black as coal and I will not have someone who can outdo me! As the Chernabog didn't finish you off," his eyes glinted with glee, "I'll just have to do it myself."

He reached out, but Emma was quicker. With a wave of her hand, she had the Dark One tied to the wall with vines that had appeared between the brickwork. The leaves were made of fire that were slowing inching their way towards the Dark One. Emma could already see the sweat dripping from his brow, his scaly crocodile skin paling in fear.

Slowly, she stalked her way forward, another large fireball illuminated her hand. She kept going until she was only a step away from the imp and she had to hold her breath at his revolting spell.

"Now, you listen to me and listen well," she hissed. "Stay away from my family in this Realm and the next. If you do a single thing that I think is out of line, this fireball," she raised it aloft, "will be shoved so deeply up you, you'll burn from the inside. Do not mess with me, _cretin_."

Emma expected the Dark One to smirk and turn the vines back on her, but as he flicked his wrists, nothing happened; Emma's magic was too strong, just like it had been against Maleficent all that time ago, but Emma didn't have time to question it.

"Get out of here," she snapped. She then stepped back and removed the vines but the fireball in her had was still there and growing bigger every second. "Now!"

The Dark One swallowed before looking at the Queen. "You have 4 more years, then your daughter is mine!" And with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared into the night.

As soon as he was gone, Emma swayed as she lost her balance. Regina rushed forward and caught her before helping her to their bed. She said nothing as she waved her hand over the blonde, removing her dress and makeup before doing the same to herself and slipping under the sheets beside her.

"What the fuck just happened?" Emma asked as she stared up at the ceiling. "I have never felt like that before."

Regina reached out and squeezed her hand. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.

Emma then rolled over so that she was face to face with the Queen. "Did I scare you?"

"No," the Queen said quickly. She reached out and cupped Emma's face gently. "I was just worried. I've never seen you so angry."

"I don't think I've ever _been_ so angry," she admitted, she sniffled as she felt tears threatening to fall. "Even when Neal let me go to prison pregnant and alone or when I thought you were a bitch to Henry and wouldn't let me see him." She took a deep breath. "Just the fact he even insinuated that you would hurt Ally for his curse." She shivered. "The idea of a world without our daughter and him being at fault for it, just the suggestion of it, filled me with a deepest anger I've ever felt. I just wanted to kill him." She stopped talking as she took it all in, analysing everything that had just happened. "Maybe that's why I have the darkest heart."

"Oh Emma," Regina gasped. She pulled herself closer and pressed her lips against the blonde's. To her surprise, Emma didn't kiss her back showing her how upset she was. "You do not have a dark heart at all!" She reached out and rested her hand above Emma's chest. "This heart is pure and full of love. The love you have for your family, your children," she smiled nervously, "and me proves that. Do you want me to pull your heart out and show you it? I can promise you now that it'll be bright red and thriving with goodness. Mine is blackened with all the evil I've done."

"You're not evil," Emma said adamantly. "You're anything but."

"And you don't have a dark heart," Regina replied softly. She slipped her hand up to cup Emma's face once more. "Just because there is potential for darkness doesn't mean it will surface. Your acts show who you are, and you have never done anything to show that you have darkness inside you unless someone threatens your family. You would never do anything out of spite."

"What if that is what causes it?" Emma asked quietly. "Someone threatens you or Ally or someone back home and I flip just like I did then? My magic is out of control when I'm angry, only you can get through to me when it happens."

"I'll help you," Regina promised. "We can start your magic lessons again and I'll help you control your angry surges so that you don't combust. If you want to?"

Emma nodded frantically. "Yes, please. Thank you. I can't thank you enough."

Regina reached forward and kissed the blonde and was happy when Emma finally responded. "You don't have to thank me." She kissed her again. "I'd do anything for you, Em, you know that." another kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma said honestly, "more than anything." Suddenly Emma felt dizzy, overcome with emotion for the woman beside her. She pulled her closer, sealing their lips together, seeking her tongue and moaning when she felt Regina's slip against her.

They were then disrupted from their love making for a second time that day, but it wasn't from Hook nor Henry. It was Alexandra's cry.

Immediately, both mothers shot out of bed as quickly as they could, shrugging their gowns over their bodies as they rushed out of the room. They barged into Alexandra's bedroom and saw the baby was wriggling side to side and sobbing loudly, clearly having a nightmare.

Regina set to lighting the candles in the room as Emma gently reached over the crib side.

"Ally," she whispered softly as she stroked her cheek. "It's okay, we're here," she cooed.

The baby then started to register her mothers' presence as Regina made her way over to the bed. Ally's eyes fluttered opened, but they were red and filled tears.

"What's the matter, Princess?" Regina asked quietly as she reached forward and picked up the baby who immediately clung onto her mother, wrapping her fingers around Regina's hair. Regina moved over to the armchair that was set up when she was still breastfeeding and sat down. Emma perched on the chair arm and reached out to stroke Ally's hair. "Did you have a nightmare, my darling?"

Ally was still crying quietly and nodded her hair glumly. "Monster," she mumbled quietly, hiding her face into Regina's neck.

Regina glance nervously at Emma who was grimaced.

"There are no monsters in here, baby," Emma cooed as she carried on stroking Ally's hair. "It's gone and it's never coming back. I promise you that, my darling." She pressed a kiss against her head before turning to Regina. "Is there something we can give her to sooth her while she sleeps?"

Regina paused to think for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I think I have a draught of dreamless sleep in my vault," she replied. She shifted Alexandra in her arms and flicked her newly freed wrist until a small vile appeared. "Ally, will you take a sip of this for Mommy, please?"

Ally looked hesitant but slowly made her way out of her mother's neck. "What that?" She asked as she looked warily at the bottle.

Emma couldn't blame her. The potion was a pale cream colour that didn't strike any particular taste. Ally was clever enough to know that it wasn't milk as she rarely drank it anymore and it always came in a different shaped bottle.

"This is going to help you sleep," Regina replied softly. "It's mainly chamomile and magnolia. It's soothing, I promise."

Ally still looked hesitant as Regina offered the vile to her. She glanced at Emma who nodded encouragingly and finally, Ally opened her mouth enough for Regina to pour a couple of drops in, before she flicked her wrist once more, sending the vile away. The baby swallowed the potion and pulled a face at the taste but almost immediately, her eyes started to droop as she fell back asleep.

Slowly, Regina stood back up and placed Alexandra back in her crib as she slept away.

"There," Regina murmured, "she shouldn't be tormented throughout the night." She leant forward and pecked Ally on her forehead, an action repeated by Emma, before the two headed back to their bedroom.

Once inside, they slipped off their gowns and got back into bed, Emma automatically leaning into Regina's embrace with the Queen's arm wrapped tightly around her.

Regina pecked her forehead. "Come on, we should get some sleep too. Would you like some of the potion?" She asked before chuckling quiet as Emma pulled the same distrusting face Ally had not five minutes ago.

"What?" Emma's distrust changed to confusion only making Regina chuckle a little louder.

"You looked just like Alexandra," Regina admitted which made Emma smile.

"Well, like mother like daughter," she said before getting serious. "I think I will take a sip of that potion though," she whispered. She didn't particularly want to but thought it would be best after such a traumatic evening.

Regina nodded and conjured up the vile once more. Emma looked warily at it, once again looking like Alexandra which made Regina's heart melt.

"It's just chamomile, with a bit of lemon," Regina said encouragingly, offering the blonde the vile. "That's why Alexandra found it bitter, because of the lemon."

Reluctantly, Emma took the vile off the Queen and brought it to her nose. She took a small sniff and could agree on the lemon, but there was something else that she couldn't place. Slowly, she took a sip, pulling the same face as the baby at the strong taste but before she could comment on it, her eyelids felt heavy. Regina quickly got hold of the bottle before it could spill into the bed and placed it on the bedside table just in case Emma woke in the night.

By the time she rolled back over, Emma was fast asleep. After placing a soft kiss on her forehead, Regina settled down, cuddling the blonde close, as she joined her in slumber.

oOoOo

Emma woke the next morning feeling incredibly relaxed. She had no idea what was in the potion she'd taken but she didn't just wake feeling well rested, but her muscles felt like they'd been massaged, and her joints had been cracked in the best ways. She rolled over and was greeted by her favourite brown eyes looking back at her.

Instead of greeting the Queen verbally, Emma simply closed the gap and slipped her arm tightly around Regina, pulling her forward, sealing their lips together. Regina sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arm around Emma, pulling them even closer together.

They kissed lazily, unhurriedly, just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms as their tongues and lips moulded together.

Breathless, they finally pulled apart. Regina smiled before her eyes fluttered open slowly, meeting Emma's dazzling green.

"Well that was a good way to start the morning," she mused, stealing yet another kiss. "I'm not complaining but what was that for?"

Emma shrugged before grinning. "Can I not kiss my beautiful Queen first thing in the morning?" She asked, flashing her perfect smile.

"Of course," Regina replied.

She closed the gap between them once more before rolling over, pushing Emma onto her back, easily straddling her hips. Leaning forward, she kissed the surprised look off of the blonde's lips, her tongue sneaking in when Emma gasped. She pulled the blonde's arms up until they were resting above her head, against the bed frame, and sneakily flicked her wrist, tying them in place with an invisible knot. Slowly, she brought her hands back down, trailing light patterns with the tips of her nails down Emma's arms and her sides causing her to quake underneath the Queen. She loved the fact they slept naked, it made mornings like this much easier.

Emma tried to pull her arms free but found herself unable to. "Release me, please," she begged, "let me touch you."

Regina simply flashed her signature smirk before tutting her lips. "Did you think it would be that easy?" She teased which just caused Emma to buck her hips.

"Please," the blonde whimpered but Regina simply shuck her head before shifting her position so she could wrap her sultry lips around Emma's already stiff nipple causing the blonde to sigh.

Regina used one hand to twist Emma's neglected nipple between her thumb and forefinger while her other hand continued to trail light patterns against her side causing her to wriggle and buck her hips wildly.

" _Regina_!" Emma moaned which the Queen took to mean that she was enjoying herself.

She smirked once more before releasing her nipple with a pop. She trailed butterfly kisses up to the blonde's neck before nipping harshly over her pulse point, enjoying how the bruise started to show almost immediately. Satisfied, she continued her kisses to Emma's ear, kissing her favourite place under her ear which never failed to make the blonde sigh happily. This was no different.

Emma turned her face, seeking the Queen's lips but was refused. Regina simply acted as if Emma hadn't moved as she started to trail her tongue back down her body, down the valley between her breasts, momentarily stopping to suck each nipple. She continued down, her tongue dipping into Emma's naval which caused the blonde to buck her hips into Regina's face, something she was counting on, before she was face to face with Emma's dripping sex.

The smell automatically filled her nostrils, she smelt delicious, and Regina's mouth was watering in anticipation. Slowly, she reached out and trailed her forefinger through her folds, missing everywhere the blonde wanted her.

"So wet," Regina murmured. She pulled her finger away and wrapped her lips around it, sucking Emma's musky yet delicious taste off of her. She heard the blonde whimper from above making Regina look up. Emma was sweating and her hands were fidgeting as she tried to fight the invisible clasp. "Is everything alright, dear?" Regina teased.

Emma nodded frantically but also bucked her hips. "Please," she groaned.

Regina returned to trailing her finger through Emma's wetness before scooping some up and leaning up, placing her wet finger in front of the blonde's lips. Emma opened her mouth immediately and accepted Regina's finger, licking it clean. She couldn't help the moan at her taste.

"I love that you love how you taste," Regina murmured before leaning down and kissing the blonde, swapping Emma's taste between their tongues. "But I also love how you taste."

She slowly made her way back down Emma's body, with a kiss here and a nip there, missing all the places Emma loved attention but paying extra attention to her hypersensitive sides, trailing her tongue deliciously slowly over them.

Finally, Regina settled between Emma's legs, hooking her arms around her hips and pulled her forward. She barely gave Emma any time to react before she dived forward. Her mouth seemed to be everywhere all at once, her tongue dipping inside her before swirling around her clit. Emma could barely keep up. All she could do was shut her eyes and moan Regina's name to the room.

"I'm so close!" She cried as Regina concentrated on her bundle of nerves, her lips wrapped tightly around it as she sucked small but constant sucks. Quickly, Regina slipped one arm free before plunging two fingers straight into Emma's quivering hole. She pumped twice and sucked hard and Emma crested, calling Regina's name loud and proud around the stone room.

Regina pulled back, impressed with herself, but before she could say anything cocky, Emma cried out, "kiss me, please!"

Usually, Emma would have just pulled her down but, with her hands tied, she couldn't. Regina quickly consented and leaned forward, their lips battling against each other immediately.

"Untie me," Emma begged, "baby, please."

Regina didn't hesitate. She flicked her wrist and Emma's hands were free. Quickly, she shook them out after being restrained for so long before flipping the two over. She wasted no time in foreplay. She needed to make the Queen come and she needed to do it now.

She wrapped her lips around Regina's stiff nipple, her left hand tweaking the unattended one, before plunging three fingers deep into her, pumping quickly, her thumb rubbing uneven circles over her clit.

It didn't take long, it never did after Regina had restrained the blonde, and the Queen was coming all over Emma's fingers, meeting her thrust for thrust, riding her with all she had.

The two flopped backwards, covered in sweat, their breathing erratic before Emma rolled over and giggled quiet. "Now that's a perfect way to start a morning," Emma surmised, following on from what Regina had said before it all began.

"Definitely," Regina agreed before sealing their sticky lips together once more. She was about to roll back on top of the blonde for round two when there was a loud knock on the door.

Emma glanced nervously at the Queen, completely unaware of the visitor about to be announced.

Regina sighed. "Maleficent always seems to have the worst timing."


	37. Chapter 37

Groaning, Regina flopped back onto the bed. "WHAT?" She cried, making it clear that no one should enter but should tell her what was going on immediately.

"Maleficent has arrived, your Majesty," the guard called through the closed door, confirming Regina's previous thoughts.

"Take her to my sitting room," Regina instructed. She heard the guards concur before the two were left along once more.

Emma glanced at the Queen. "I didn't know you were expecting her?" The blonde's voice raised at the end, turning her statement into a question.

"I asked her to come back to help us with new charms on the castle after yesterday," she revealed as she slipped out of bed, glancing at the blonde with a slight frown. "You were there when we discussed it. Don't you remember?"

The blonde's brow furrowed before she shook her head. "No, but there was a lot on my mind yesterday evening," she muttered, almost snapped at the Queen. She slipped out of the bed and stalked off to their dressing room, leaving a very confused Regina behind.

Slowly, Regina entered their dressing room but ensured to keep a small distance between the two of them. Emma was sitting on the silk red pouffe in the centre of the room with her face in her hands. Regina watched as the blonde took a deep breath.

"Em?" She called softly, not wanting to overstep.

Emma looked up, looking guilty. "Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped and I definitely shouldn't have walked away like that. I promised I wouldn't anymore."

Realising it was now safe, Regina crossed the room and took Emma's hands in hers, thumbing her soft skin gently. "Don't apologise. I shouldn't be surprised after last night. Plus, the dreamless sleep potion does knock you out something crazy leaving you a little grouchy the next day." She sighed. "Now let's go and put the charms up with Mal and then how about we join Alexandra with her Nanny this afternoon?" Regina suggested.

"Sounds great," Emma agreed before she reached up and kissed Regina softly. "Let's go see my new best friend." She smiled to show she was joking making Regina laugh quietly.

With the tension cut, the two dressed quickly, just slipping on a simple dress. Well, Emma did, wearing a plain light blue dress, but Regina couldn't do that as she stepped into her leather trousers and slipped on a deep purple blazer. Emma thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Regina had started wearing her leather trousers again now that she felt comfortable after giving birth to Alexandra.

Looking up, Regina saw the expected look on Emma's face whenever she wore those trousers. Her expression went a little blank, her eyes glazed over and her mouth opened slightly.

Regina smirked. "See something you like, dear?" She teased.

"You bet!" Emma replied as she crossed the gap between then and pulled Regina close, kissing her passionately. Almost a little too passionately as they started to lose themselves in the kiss.

"Regina!"

The two pulled apart at Maleficent's call. The dragon had clearly gotten bored of waiting and had gone to the Queen's bedroom.

"At least she hasn't come in here," Emma said rolling her eyes.

"She wouldn't dare," Regina chuckled before stealing one last kiss from the blonde, pulling back a fraction early, leaving the blonde wanting more. "Come along, dear," she smirked before turning and leaving the room.

Emma quickly followed like a lost puppy until they were back in their bedroom.

Maleficent was perching on the bottom of their bed. Her right hand was aloft, and she was looking at her nails while she waited for the two to finally arrive. At the sound of their footsteps, she turned and smiled which soon turned into a smirk that could rival the Queen's when she saw the look in Emma's eyes.

"There you are!" She greeted instead of simply saying hello. "I half expected to see the two in a state of indecency." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, hoping the two would blush and reveal what had happened but it didn't quite go how she expected.

"If you'd arrived ten minutes earlier, you would have done," Regina sassed and finally, Emma did blush as the Queen admitted what they had been doing.

"Ooh, tell me everything!" Mal teased, showing that she was finally in the place she belonged, being their friend.

"You wish," Emma joked, getting over the embarrassment quickly, before turning to Regina. "Now, can we get some breakfast before all the charm casting. I can barely think straight before eating." She smirked. "I was interrupted earlier." She winked at Regina who just raised her eyebrow.

"Too much info!" Mal said, holding her hands up in defeat. "Let's get some food in the Princess and get the spells done. I'd like to see Ally sooner rather than later."

"Of course you're only here to see Alexandra," Regina sighed but laughed to show that she didn't take it badly.

"Well, she is my favourite royal after all," the dragon sassed before standing up suddenly and walking out of the room and toward the dining room.

oOoOo

"Right, are you ready?" Maleficent asked, glancing at Emma.

"Yeah!" She affirmed as she looked out to the balcony.

The three had settled for some breakfast, Maleficent joining as she hadn't eaten before setting off to the castle as was the plan that she and Regina had decided on. Emma was surprised again when she realised that the dragon would be joining them but Maleficent knew not to mention anything from just the look on Regina's face and the fact the Queen didn't mention it.

They enjoyed a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon and avocado, washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice for the blondes and apple for the Queen as she was rather partial to it first thing on a morning. Well, she was known to drink it throughout the day. She just couldn't get enough of apples.

Once breakfast was done, Mal went over the different charms she had over her castle and which ones she thought would work best with Regina's. Some would be redundant, like water resistant charms as Regina's castle was well equipped for rain and earthquake resilient as they were extremely rare in Regina's Kingdom unlike the Kingdom where Maleficent lived.

"Surely if Rumple got through Cora's curses, he'd be able to get through these?" Emma had doubted as the sorceresses were discussing the pros and cons of the soundproof spell.

Maleficent looked at Emma with a smile. "He won't," she replied easily. When Emma still looked doubtful, and a little scared, not that Mal pointed that bit out, she continued. "Rumple taught Cora everything she knew, he didn't teach me," she revealed. "He knew her magic like the back of his hands whereas mine is completely unknown to him. It's like Regina would be able to take down any spell you thought to put up because she taught you."

"Then won't he be able to get through Regina's spells?"

Regina glanced over to Emma and it broke her heart seeing Emma look so, well, scared. She'd never seen the blonde look like that. She'd always been the stronger of the two, the protector. Whatever had happened during the attacked the previous night was a lot more serious than Regina thought. However, with Maleficent there, now was not the time to discuss it.

"No, honey," Regina said softly, "because we won't be using spells he taught me. Most of these are Mal's creation."

The blonde's eyebrows raised, impressed with Mal's skill. "Okay." She nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

Before long, the three were spaced out on separate balconies but able to hear each other. They had decided to each cast the same spell to amplify the power around the castle. They would cast each spell at every side of the castle. It shouldn't take long and it didn't. However, at the end, they were all pretty exhausted and found themselves sitting in Regina's favourite sitting room nursing a strong cider.

"Now I understand why your mother cast the spells over a long time," Emma murmured.

Regina chuckled quietly. "She was clever, you couldn't deny that," she said with a wistful sigh.

Just as Maleficent was going to add to the conversation, there was a knock on the door before Pedro, Emma's favourite guard, entered the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb, your Majesty, your Highness, Maleficent," he said quietly, dipping his head in respect to the three ladies, "however, Nanny Kala has said the Princess is wanting her momma's attention."

Regina nodded and stood up. "Thank you, Pedro, I'll be right there."

"Right you are, your Majesty," Pedro bowed low before stepping out of the room.

"I'll be right back," Regina said as she put her half drank cider on the small coffee table. She made her way over to the door before glancing back. "Please don't kill each other," she laughed, before bighting her lip, only half joking.

"We'll be fine," Mal reassured the Queen who nodded absentmindedly and left the room.

Once the door had shut, Emma reached out and filled her goblet up with more cider, her hands shaking a little bit.

"Is everything alright, Emma?" Mal asked quietly. Their friendship was still very new and she presumed that Emma wouldn't answer her and if she did, it probably wouldn't be the truth but she was worried. Every time she had met the blonde, she had been cocky, strong, and, well, a little bit bratty, but today it was like she'd retracted into a shell. Mal missed her feistiness.

"Yeah," Emma said quickly, too quickly to be truthful, "why wouldn't I be?"

She brought the goblet up to her lips, taking a deep mouthful, repeating the action twice until her goblet was half empty. She reached forward to the decanter on the table, ready to refill but the dragon placed her hand on top of Emma's, preventing her from doing so.

"Tell me what's going on?" She requested calmly. "I might be able to help."

Emma bit her lip and slipped her hand back into her lap. She pulled her legs up to her chest, her go to position when she felt vulnerable.

"The Chernabog," she whispered. "It made me see things I didn't want to ever relive. Its eyes," she shivered, "were hell. Then on top of that was what Rumple said."

"The Dark One was here?" Mal asked, her eyes furrowed in concern. "When?"

"Last night. He was in our room when we came to bed. He…he tried to kill me," Emma's voice waivered as she remembered the anger and fear that flooded through her. "He wants me dead because I have the most potential to have the darkest heart. I felt so angry, I tried to kill him."

"It wouldn't have worked," Mal said quickly. "You can't kill him without his dagger."

"I know!" Emma snapped, sending the dragon into more of a panic about the blonde. "Sorry," she said quickly. "But it _was_ working. I don't know how. It was like when I trapped you," she blushed guiltily, "sorry about that."

"Don't worry about that," Mal said kindly, "please continue,"

"When you couldn't fight back, only Regina could get through to me," Emma revealed. "Like last night, he couldn't fight back, he _was_ dying, until Regina told me to stop. Only then did I do it. What if he's right? What if I am becoming dark or I'm already dark? What if something I do hurts Regina or Alexandra? What if it's a dark deed that triggers the portal to get me home?!" Emma was so lost in her monologue of despair that she hadn't realised what had just slipped out.

"Emma?" The dragon called uncertainly, trying to get the other blonde to snap out of whatever was going on. She didn't want Regina to come back and see Emma going a little crazy, not just because she didn't want to worry Regina, but she also didn't want the Queen to think it was the dragon's fault.

"I mean, surely time travel can't particularly be light magic with half of the ingredients. I got pulled through to the past with dark magic."

"Emma?" Mal tried again but Emma was having none of it. She had now stood up and was pacing the room, talking to herself.

"That must be it! I'm dark!"

"Emma!" Maleficent yelled, finally snapping Emma out of herself.

The Princess looked up, her eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.

"You need to calm down!" The dragon instructed. "Sit." Emma did so before Mal snapped her fingers and produced a glass of white liquid. "Drink."

The blonde was reluctant, thinking it was the same as the potion the night before. "I don't need a dreamless sleep potion."

Maleficent sighed. "Regina probably shouldn't have given you that," she murmured quietly, "it's just milk to calm you down."

Emma looked slightly wary nonetheless but slowly picked up the glass. With a sip, it confirmed that the dragon had been telling the truth and Emma downed the glass of milk, immediately feeling better.

"It's not your usual milk," Mal revealed, "it's mixed with a little bit of chamomile, like in the sleeping draught, but it's just mixed with milk to sooth. Do you feel better?" Emma looked a little sheepish but nodded. "Good." Mal leant back and looked at Emma, taking her in. "Now, could you please fully explain what happened last night when Rumple was here if you can without getting yourself worked up?"

Emma nodded. "I guess–"

"Good," Mal said, cutting her off, "and you can tell me what on earth you meant about being from the future while you're at it."

"What?" Emma's eyes flashed wide, not realising she'd mentioned it before sighing. She wished Regina was there, but she was with Alexandra and the baby would always need her more than Emma did. With a deep breath, Emma asked, "how much time do you have?"

"Infinite."

Emma exhaled slowly and flicked her wrists, removing the cider from the table and replacing it with tea. She made herself a mug and lifted it to her lips. After a long sip, she swallowed and placed the tea back on the table and started her tales.

"I'll start at the beginning."

After what felt like hours, Emma finally finished her tales. All while she spoke, Maleficent stayed quiet, allowing Emma to speak. Emma started first with being from the future as she felt it was better. She told Maleficent the truth about Zelena being Regina's sister, but told her that Regina had no clue that the portal was opened by her half-sister that she had no clue existed yet.

She then went onto tell her about everything that had happened since she arrived here, from getting close to Henry, naturally being with Regina and having Alexandra to unlocking her magic and facing her fears of jealousy and insecurity with how Maleficent felt about Regina. Naturally the dragon was a little apprehensive when Emma mentioned that, but she tried to skim over it as quickly as possible.

Emma even had to admit that she was the one who let Snow and Charming go all those months ago. All Maleficent did was raise her eyebrow, still not speaking.

Once Emma was up to date, she told her about what happened with Rumple, telling the dragon of what he said and how she reacted. What she felt and what she did.

By the time she finished speaking, her mouth was as dry as a dessert. She waved her hand over her teacup to reheat it before sitting back and sipping her tea, simply waiting for the dragon to say something.

"Well, that explains how Snow White and Charming succeeded in escaping when I was pretty sure I'd made it impossible with Snow's cursed chains," Maleficent mused, she smiled when Emma's eyes widened in fear. "I'm not angry," the dragon added quickly and Emma soon relaxed, "I was just very confused."

"I had to save them otherwise I wouldn't have been born," Emma defended which just made Mal laugh before she became serious.

"Look, Emma, it's okay to feel angry sometimes," Mal said quietly. "Sometimes anger is what you need to get things done and create spells needed. You didn't kill him, and I don't think you would have done even if Regina hadn't stepped in. Emma, you _are_ good." She slowly reached out and took Emma's free hand that wasn't holding her mug. She squeezed it reassuringly. "Just because you have the potential for great darkness, doesn't mean you will fulfil it."

"I was destined to be the Saviour and that's what I became even though I tried to fight it," Emma said quietly.

"That's different," Maleficent said quickly.

"How?" Emma asked incredulously, not quite able to believe her ears.

"Being the Saviour was built into a powerful curse," Mal explained. "The potential for darkness is all theory, there's no proof to it. Rumple has just decided that you're the person because you're not from here, so he thinks it's you. Besides, so what if it's true? From what I've seen, Emma, you're not dark. In fact, you're so full of light magic, it emits off you. I felt it when we were protecting the castle earlier. You're going to be fine, I promise."

After hearing all that, Emma dropped her mug and pulled Maleficent into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you!" She cried.

The two were so wrapped up in the conversation, they didn't hear Regina re-enter the room with Alexandra on her hip.

"So what's going on here?" Regina asked quietly.

The two blondes pulled back as if they'd been electrocuted. Emma shot off the sofa and rushed to her love, pulling Regina into her arms before kissing her and Alexandra on their foreheads.

Regina pulled back, her eyebrows raised in shock and confusion. "What is going on?"

"Just getting reassurance," Emma replied eventually. "You were right."

"Now that's something I love to hear," Regina sassed with a laugh, "but what about this time?"

"Just because I have the potential to be dark doesn't mean I will be," Emma admitted. She ran her fingers through Ally's hair and smiled. She wrapped her arm around the Queen's waist and turned to face the dragon. "I just need someone to keep me light." She turned back to the Queen and saw she was looking at her with heart eyes that just melted her soul. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips softly against the Queen's. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Love oooo!" Ally added making all the adults laugh.

Regina and Emma then made their way over to the sofas joining Maleficent. Alexandra wriggled in Regina's lap and reached for the dragon who happily accepted her unofficial god daughter.

"Hello there, Ally!"

"Hi Mally!"

It was the simplest of things that made Ally laugh but Emma still loved seeing how happy it made her.

Mal then turned to Regina. "What was up with her?" She asked.

"She was just fussing," Regina replied, shifting slightly in her chair. Emma wanted to ask more but Regina beat her to it. "So what was going on while I was gone?"

"I may have accidentally revealed the truth about me," Emma said quietly, nervously biting her lip.

Regina raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"

And that was all it took, Emma then explained how she accidentally let it slip. Regina wasn't angry, she couldn't be as it wasn't her secret to tell, she was just intrigued about how it all happened.

Maleficent ended up staying for dinner before she finally headed back home. Emma and Regina curled up in front of the fire while the former read to the Queen, telling her about the adventures of Gideon, introducing her to Her Handsome Hero until it was time for bed.

Nanny Kala had already put Alexandra down for the night and had retired to her quarters, so Emma and Regina were able to straight up to their room. Emma was rather hesitant to enter their room, half convinced Rumple was going to be waiting for them again.

Regina seemed to sense Emma's hesitation and squeezed her hand. Slowly, the two stripped down and slipped under the sheets. Automatically Emma slipped into Regina's embrace. Usually Regina would cuddle into Emma, but she didn't mind the mix up. She shut her eyes, but as soon as her lids closed, flashes of the night before flickered before her, making her tense.

"Emma?" Regina said quietly, trying to figure out what was going on.

Emma's eyes shot open, her breathing already erratic.

"Em?" Regina tried again. "What's wrong?"

Slowly, Emma looked to the Queen. "Could I have some more of the dreamless sleep potion?"

Regina was reluctant, starting to regret giving it to her the night before as it was possible to become addicted to it. Alexandra was alright after her fussing earlier. It was a typical side effect to be ratty the day after, something Emma had also experienced during the day. As Ally was only a baby and had only had a couple of drops, she would be fine tomorrow. For Emma, it would take a couple of days to be out of her system properly and until that was the case, she would always crave more. Perhaps she shouldn't have suggested the potion knowing what could happen. She just had to hope Emma was strong enough for what was to come.

"Only tonight," Regina agreed when she saw Emma's pleading eyes.

Emma nodded, "I promise."


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N: I'm going to add a trigger warning for addiction but it's only for this chapter, promise, and sorry in advance if anyone is affected!_

Months passed and Emma was still taking the dreamless sleep potion. However, Regina was completely none the wiser.

As promised, Emma had stopped taking the potion that Regina had provided, but that didn't stop her from seeking more. She found a potion book the next day amongst some of Cora's books that she had avoided previously and found the dreamless sleep one easily. She read about the side effects and understood why she needed to keep drinking it. She knew that should have put her off, but it didn't. Instead, she learnt how to make it so that she always had a supply but told no one about it.

Every day, she would slip a couple of drops in her drink of choice at dinner time and by the time they went to sleep, she slipped off easily. It also meant that when she woke up, she felt well rested and spent her mornings practically skipping. At lunch time, she would feel a dip in mood, but she would go to see Alexandra and then she would cheer up. By the evening, she would start to drop again but once she'd sipped her potion, she would perk up again before it was time to sleep.

Yes, she felt ridiculously guilty and did sometimes try to sleep without it but on those nights, she'd wake up part way through the night, tossing and turning, visions of the Chernabog's soulless eyes staring at her and reels of old foster families would flash before her eyes. The potion was the only solution, right?

Regina had come through on her promise to help Emma with her anger. Something that was coming a little more frequent because of her new addiction to the dreamless sleep potion. The Queen gave her techniques to avoid darkening the spell because she was angry. For example, if she only wanted a small fireball, to light a fire or provide some lighting, and she was angry, it would blow up and become unnecessarily large and dangerous. With Regina's tactics, she would be able to keep the flame minute. Emma was convinced Regina would find out her secret with her anger feeding through her magic, but she didn't.

However, she knew her secret wouldn't last for ever. Six months after the Alexandra's first birthday and the night everything happened, Regina came storming into the library, where Emma was reading, holding two boxes in her arms. Her face was scarlet with fury.

"Emma Swan!" She cried, using Emma's full name for the first time since Emma had been in the past.

Emma dropped the book in surprise at the sudden company. Regina had said she was doing to some general inventory taking and would be busy most of the morning and probably part of the afternoon. However, it seemed that included her vault.

"Just what have you been doing with my stock of potion ingredients?!" Regina demanded.

Emma swallowed nervously, she had no come back to this. "Regina, I can explain…"

"You don't need to!" Regina snapped. "I know exactly what's going on! I just cannot believe I didn't notice. I should have done. I knew it was possible, but when you stopped asking for the potion, I thought that was the end of it. I never expected you to start making it yourself! After all the time I spent teaching you how to channel your anger in your magic, you go and do this? You should have told me that you were still suffering. I would have done something to help!"

"What could you have done?" Emma asked, her anger starting to build up once more. "I can't sleep because of what I see. You don't know what I saw when it was trying to kill me!"

Regina gasped in shock. She knew that Emma hadn't told her the full story, but over the last few months, she hoped that she would have told her everything by now. She was disappointed that she still didn't have a clue.

"I don't know because you didn't tell me!" Regina said exasperatedly, she felt herself tearing up and didn't bother trying to stem the tears. She cried in anger and frustration and really, in betrayal. "Please tell me. I want to help you."

Emma swallowed again before frantically shaking her head. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't relive it again. Once was already bad enough."

"Emma, if you don't tell me, I can't help you," Regina sobbed. She dropped the empty ingredient boxes and fell to her knees in front of the blonde. "Please let me in."

However, Emma simply shook her head once more, turning away from the Queen, allowing the tears to slip down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Regina stood up and backed away. "I can't believe I'm about to do this, but I don't know what else to do. It's my turn to walk away. Come find me when you're ready to talk."

"Why?" Emma asked, a bite to her voice. "I'm always the one who has to find you when we have a fight, even when I'm not in the wrong."

The Queen tuned back to the blonde. "Because this time it's only you who can fix this."

And with that, Regina backed out of the room, leaving the now broken ingredient boxes on the floor in front of the chair and a very scared blonde in her favourite place. She stared into the unlit fireplace. The sun was scorching into the room so that the fire wasn't needed.

"Fuck," she sighed before pulling her legs up to her chest and placing her head in her hands.

She knew it was going to happen before long, but she hadn't let herself think about the consequences. In all honestly, she was trying to stem the intake of the potion, but she just found reliving everything over and over too painful. She'd mentioned it a little bit to Maleficent, but she hadn't wanted to go into too much detail even though the two were becoming very good friends.

Now the two blondes were getting along, Mal came for dinner once every other week, sometimes every week depending on hers and Regina's schedule. The Queen had even been away on business with King Midas and Maleficent hadn't been informed so the two just had dinner together with Alexandra. It wasn't painful and Emma had then started asking more about the Chernabog. She was surprised the dragon hadn't mentioned it to the Queen, but it seemed she had honoured Emma's request to keep it quiet.

At that very moment, Emma wished she had someone to talk to about it all. She couldn't speak to Regina while she was so angry with her and she couldn't speak to Henry; he wouldn't understand. She knew if she was back in Storybrooke that she could speak to Ruby, but the wolf probably wouldn't understand what was going on. So that left only Maleficent.

With a deep breath, Emma stood up from her chair and cleared her mind. She flicked her wrist until she was transported by her familiar cloud of white. When it cleared, she saw she was outside Maleficent's castle. She hadn't been here since rescuing Snow. It felt odd to be there for a somewhat social call.

Slowly, she walked up to the main doors and walked through, easily slipping through the barriers that the dragon had altered.

"Mal!" She called, hoping the dragon was actually at home and not stretching her wings.

"Emma?" Emma turned and saw Maleficent walking towards her in the entrance hall. She looked very confused but also happy. "Is everything alright?"

"No," Emma admitted quietly. "Everything is definitely not alright."

"Oh dear, come with me. I'll make us some tea."

A few moments later, the two were settled in front of Maleficent's fire place in two overly large armchairs, nursing a strong cup of tea. Despite the powerful sun in the sky, Mal's castle walls so were so high and dense, the heat couldn't get in.

The two were silent for a few moments, sipping at their tea before Mal placed hers down on the tray in front of her. "So, what's going on?"

Emma continued to sip her tea for a few seconds longer as she gathered her courage. Finally, she placed her teacup down beside Maleficent's and took a deep breath. "I can't stop taking the dreamless sleep potion and Regina is furious with me."

She then went on to tell the dragon everything. Literally everything. From being shipped through the tree portal by Snow and being adopted as a baby before being returned when she was three, to all the abuse she received by her foster families, both mental and physical. She then told her about her time in Storybrooke and Henry almost dying because of the poisoned apple turnover.

By the time she finished, her voice was hoarse and she was sobbing. However, the relief she felt from just telling someone about it was actually refreshing.

"I just see it over and over whenever I shut my eyes," she finished quietly. "I see its black eyes bringing it out of me. I've tried not using the potion, but I wake up part way through the night and it starts again. What am I meant to do? Regina is furious."

Maleficent was quiet for a few moments, taking in everything that Emma had said. She'd not interrupted the other blonde while she told her story, simply sitting back and taking it in.

She cleared her throat. "I think Regina has every right to be angry," she said bluntly. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but it needs to be said. Not only were you taking the potion behind her back, but you were stealing her ingredients which wasn't clever. You did know she'd find out eventually, right? It's Regina, nothing gets by her for ever."

Emma sighed. "I know," she muttered. "I knew she would, but I didn't want to think about it. I kept putting it off." She sighed again. "Perhaps I was waiting for her to see it so she could snap me out of it."

"Emma, that's not how it should work," Mal chastised. "The first step to getting over a problem is admitting that the problem exists. You still haven't really done that," she raised her eyebrow making Emma blush, "Regina _loves_ you. She'd do anything for you. She just wants to help you. You should have told her." She sighed. "Look, I don't want to be mean, especially after everything you've just said, but people need tough loving sometimes. God knows I did. I was a moping mess when I first met Regina and she wouldn't let me quit. With both my magic and our feelings for each other." She smiled fondly at the memories and Emma didn't even grimace at the mention of the Queen and dragon's former relationship as she no longer saw Mal as competition. "She's got a good heart and only wants the best for those she loves. You need to tell her everything you've told me, maybe not the almost poisoning her son, that could get tricky, but everything else."

"But–"

"No buts, Emma," Mal said firmly, cutting off the blonde. "You need to tell her. She's the only one who can really help you." The dragon waved her hand to produce a fresh batch of tea. "As for now, you are welcome to stay, but I'd rather discuss something else to get your mind off things. So, I believe the last time you were here, you rescued your mother?"

Emma had to double take at the complete curve the conversation had taken. Her soul had literally been poured to the dragon who didn't really have that much to say on the matter, but yet, she heard everything she'd needed to hear.

"Umm, yeah," she said quietly, her face flushing in guilt. "I mean, I've still not been born so I couldn't have you killing her."

Mal laughed. "I wasn't going to kill her. I was going to let Regina do that." She then glowered as she thought about something. "Though I could kill her for what she'll do to you in the future. No child should be without their mother. I can't believe she did that."

Emma shrugged. "It was for the greater good or something," she sighed. "She put her people's happiness above both hers and mine. She wouldn't get to raise me and I'd grow up without my parents but at the end of it all, I'd save everyone. It's poetic." She rolled her eyes. "But it got me Henry and now it got me Alexandra. It got me Regina." She then looked down and smiled, before laughing to herself quietly in disbelief. "It got me Regina," she repeated before looking at the dragon. "Despite everything that happened in the past, it's led me to my True Love. Sure, it wasn't the best way to grow up but it's like Rafiki said, the past can hurt but you can learn from it." Suddenly, she stood up and set her tea down. "I've got to go!"

Maleficent watched on, proud of herself that she'd gotten Emma to realise just what she needed to do but then tilted her head in confusion. "Who's Rafiki?"

Emma laughed, "I'll show you one day!" She walked a few steps so she wasn't by the fireplace should her spell go badly wrong and she ended up singeing herself. "Thank you, Mal. You're the best."

The dragon simply laughed. "Go," she encouraged.

Emma didn't reply, instead she flicked her wrist to transport herself back home. She landed in their bedroom as she didn't think the Queen would be in there. She had an inkling to where Regina would be, but she was nervous about returning to Regina's crypt while she was still in a foul mood. There were many dangerous items in there that she could throw at the blonde, but she had to be brave. She needed to speak to the Queen.

With a deep breath, she flicked her wrist once more and appeared outside the crypt. Slowly, she eased the door open and entered quietly. As she walked towards the main room, she strained her ears for any sound of the Queen and she heard the quiet sounds of her mutterings. It seemed she was still doing inventory to take her mind off everything that was going on.

Slowly, Regina came into view. Emma was wrong, the Queen wasn't still doing inventory; she was making a potion. She was standing over a fire, measuring out an unknown ingredient. Emma was anxious to interrupt her while she was busy.

"I can hear you," the Queen murmured as she placed the vile down. She didn't look away from what she was doing. "If you're going to make up more excuses, I don't want to hear it."

"I'm not," Emma replied quietly. She held her hands up in surrender. "I'm here to talk but I can see you're busy. I'll come back."

She heard Regina sigh and she bit her lip.

Finally, Regina looked up from what she was doing but her face was impassive. "I shouldn't be long," she said quietly. "I'm on the last few steps. I'll meet you in my sitting room in an hour."

Emma nodded. "Okay."

She backed out of the crypt until she was standing outside the main door. Well, that could have gone worse, she thought to herself. Regina was clearly too distracted by whatever potion she was making to emit her true feelings onto the blonde. Perhaps that was a good thing.

Realising she had an hour to wait before she could explain herself, she returned to the library. She decided to walk to take up a little bit of time. This time, instead of immersing herself in a fiction book, she headed to the corner where Regina had a stack of magic books. She ran her fingers over the spines, searching out the potion book she had found the draught of dreamless sleep in and hoped she could find a counter curse to the dependency factor of it.

When she opened the book, it automatically fell to the page of the dreamless sleep potion, making her cringe with guilt that she'd used the book so often that the spine was dented. Despite the amount of times she'd read the writings, she scanned the page once more, looking for anything she could find. There was a final instruction on the bottom of the page that she hadn't taken in on the other times she'd read it as she'd considered it unnecessary.

 _It is very easy to become dependant on this draught but there is a way to counter this. See page 55._

Slowly, she flipped to the indicated page and saw a potion called _libertatem_ but she'd never taken Latin to know what it meant. However, as she scanned the list of ingredients, she realised it was an incredibly difficult potion to brew. It didn't need long, but the measurements had to be precise and the ingredients didn't look very appealing. Amongst them were the wings of a Queen Bee, hair of an ox, and slime of a toad plus many more things that Emma regretted reading.

So, that was the end of that. She was screwed. There was no way she'd be able to make something like that and she doubted Regina would make it for her.

With a sigh, she picked up the book and decided to wait in Regina's sitting room. At least then she wouldn't be late and she would be there for when the Queen arrived. She decided to walk again to kill more time. Plus she was tired from having poofed to and from Maleficent's castle as it was a very long way. Not to mention, it was over Kingdom borders.

When she arrived in Regina's sitting room, she lit the candles and fireplace out of habit and for something to do. She glanced at her watch which she now wore on her wrist. It was disguised as a bracelet to anyone who looked at it. She saw that she still had another ten minutes before Regina said she would be there, so she decided to read more about the libertatem potion in an attempt to wrap her head around it, just in case Regina allowed her to make it.

Emma was so involved in the book that she didn't hear Regina enter the room until she was beside her.

"I would have thought reading my mother's magic books were what got you into this mess," she murmured.

Emma's head snapped up and her eyes widened. "I was trying to find a counter potion for the dependency on the potion, I swear!" She said quickly. She swallowed and held the page out to Regina. "It says this is what helps. I was looking at the ingredients to see if I could make it."

Regina glanced at the page before looking up at Emma. She smiled softly which made Emma's heart beat even quicker.

"That's the potion I was making when you disturbed me earlier," she admitted. "I'd heard of it a long time ago but have never made it. I'm afraid it's brewing so I can't give you it yet."

They were silent for a few moments before Emma couldn't cope anymore.

"I am so sorry," she said. "About everything. I should have told you just what happened that night and how it affected me and I should have told you I still couldn't sleep. I shouldn't have kept it a secret."

"No, you shouldn't," Regina agreed before she sighed, "but I should have been paying more attention so for that I'm sorry, my love. I guess I just got too comfortable with our overly amorous mornings."

It was true, as Emma had such a good sleep, she always woke up refreshed and was making love to the Queen almost every morning. She'd either wait until the Queen was awake or she'd wake her up with her head between her legs. However, it had meant that they hadn't made love before going to bed because Emma had usually zonked out already.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny," the blonde repeated. She put the book down and placed her hands in Regina's and breathed a sigh of relief when the Queen didn't snatch her hands back. "I'd like to tell you everything, if you'll allow me. Could you refrain from jumping in until I finish? I've already said all this today, saying it again is going to be difficult."

Despite wanting to ask why she'd already said it, Regina refrained, knowing that Emma would tell her afterwards when she asked.

"I'm all ears," Regina reassured her.

Emma nodded and swallowed. "Can I have a kiss before I start, you know, for support?"

Regina couldn't help the small chuckle. "Of course."

She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Emma's lips, the blonde automatically relaxing with her lover's touch.

When they pulled back, Emma took a deep breath and shut her eyes as she centred herself. Regina sat back and gave Emma as much time as she needed.

Finally, Emma opened her eyes and looked directly at her favourite chocolate brown eyes. "The Chernabog made me relive all of my worse memories which I never wanted to think about again, let alone see flash before my eyes," she began.

Then just as Maleficent had earlier, Regina listened to everything Emma said. She reacted to how her foster fathers had hit her if she'd done something wrong, or her foster mothers screaming at her for simply trying to help her foster siblings get something to eat, with a gasp. As Mal had suggested, Emma refrained from mentioning much of what happened in Storybrooke with Henry, choosing to focus on her childhood. By the end of it, the two were sobbing openly.

Regina opened out her arms and immediately, Emma flew into them, bawling into Regina's neck. The Queen ran her fingers through Emma's hair and rubbed her back as she cried.

"I've got you," she promised. "I'll never let you go."


	39. Chapter 39

Emma cried into Regina's neck for what seemed like hours before finally, after only a few minutes, she pulled back.

"I just didn't want to disappoint you by asking for the potion again," Emma murmured quietly. "That first night was horrible. I waited for you to fall asleep and I tossed and turned. I don't think I got any sleep. When you went to meet King Stephan, I rushed to the library to find something that would help when I found the recipe for the potion you gave me and it was so simple. So I snuck into your vault to make it and just kept doing it because it helped." She swallowed. "I think I was subconsciously waiting for you to find out so that this would happen."

Regina cocked her head to the side in confusion. "You wanted me to get angry at you and scream at you about it?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I needed a strong reaction out of you," she admitted quietly. "If we'd spoken about it calmly, I don't think it would have sunk in. I needed you to yell. That's what made it sink in that I'd really done something wrong. I knew I had, but I couldn't stop. Maleficent said that I needed to admit I had a problem before I could help myself, but I think I needed you to force the problem out of me."

"Maleficent?" Regina repeated. "When did you speak to Maleficent about it?"

"About two hours ago," Emma muttered guiltily. "I needed to get it all out to someone who would understand both our sides. I couldn't speak to your father about it, not this time."

"So you went to my best friend?"

"I think she's also mine now too," she admitted with a small laugh. "You were right, we are quite alike." She sighed when she realised Regina wasn't smiling at her attempt to be funny. "I'm sorry. I know I've gone about all of this the wrong way and I really wish there was a way to make it up to you. Please tell me how."

Regina was quiet for a few moments as she took everything in. There was a hell of a lot of information to absorb in such a small amount of time even with a brain that worked as quickly as hers.

"You have to try and let me in," she said eventually. "I made the libertatem potion yes, but I want to see you try without it. Wake me up if you can't sleep and I'm already asleep. Talk to me before we go to bed about something that will distract you. I'll stroke your back until you doze off and long into the night if that's what it takes. I need you to know that I'm here and you don't have to suffer alone."

A tear slipped down Emma's cheek before she could stop it. "I've never had someone to fully depend on before. I know we've been together for over two years now, but it's still so new to me."

"I know, my love," Regina murmured as she pressed a loving kiss to Emma's temple. She reached out and thumbed away her escaped tear. "But you're not alone anymore. You'll always have me."

"I love you so much," Emma breathed and swallowed as she felt herself overcome with emotion for the Queen before her.

"And I love you," Regina reassured her.

Emma leant forward and pressed her lips softly against Regina's, trying to put as much love and tenderness into the kiss as she could. She would try and let the Queen in, she had to.

OOoOo

When the two sat down to dinner that evening, Emma could feel Regina's watchful eye on her. She was careful not to make a big deal out of anything, instead she just concentrated on her meal and feeding Alexandra in between mouthfuls.

It was when the two went to bed when things got a little tenser. Emma slipped into bed beside the Queen as normal, taking deep breaths.

"Honey?" Regina said softly, she opened her arm. "Come here."

Emma immediately shuffled until she was laying with her head in the crook of Regina's neck. The Queen could feel the sharp intakes of breath against her skin.

"It's okay," she cooed. She brought her hand up and started running her fingers softly through her hair. "Tell me how I can help?"

"Just hold me," Emma murmured. She reached up and kissed Regina's neck and breathed in her comforting scent.

"All night long, my love," Regina assured her. She held her tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma replied. Slowly, she let her eyes flutter shut as she felt safe in the Queen's arms.

However, the night wasn't smooth sailing. Emma woke up multiple times. The first time was probably the worst. She shot up in the bed panting breathlessly. Looking round, she saw Regina looking directly at her, her chocolate eyes wide awake.

"You were shaking in your sleeping and knocked me," she murmured. She kept her space, wanting to take Emma's lead. "I reached out to try and calm you, but it woke you up instead. I'm sorry."

Emma continued to look blankly at Regina, trying to calm down. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I stole a cookie when I was seven. The foster family had their own son and a separate cookie supply for him and I hadn't eaten all day because my foster parents forgot to send me to school with my lunch. I was starving so I took one and his mom found out and she screamed at me." Emma shivered. "But this time, she was screaming at me constantly, she didn't let up. I couldn't even tell what she was saying but there was so much anger behind her voice."

"Em, it's okay," Regina assured her, finally reaching out and pulling the blonde to her. "I've got you. Deep breaths."

Emma nodded and swallowed. She inhaled deeply through her nose, counting to four, and out through her mouth for another for. A loved technique her old college roommate, a psychology major, taught her. She repeated it several times before Regina slowly lowered the two of them back down. Regina continued to hold her and stroke her hair until the blonde's eyelids started to flutter shut once more.

They slept peacefully for another couple of hours until Emma woke again. This time she hadn't woken Regina up. The Queen looked so peaceful asleep. She looked relaxed and calm. Emma didn't have the heart to wake her up despite what she had just seen in her dreams. It was of the same foster home but not the foster mother yelling at her. It was the father, but she wouldn't let herself relive the memory any longer.

The temptation to conjure her stash of the dreamless sleep potion was ridiculously temping. One sip and the night would be her oyster. She'd sleep like a baby and would wake up feeling utterly refreshed.

But she couldn't.

She _wouldn't._

She'd promised Regina that she would get the help she needed. That was why she reluctantly reached out and shook Regina gently awake.

"Ginny."

Immediately, Regina's eyes shot open.

"Em," she said before she was fully awake.

"I'm so sorry to wake you," Emma replied. She bit her lip nervously.

Regina quickly came to when she realised what was going on. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "Don't be. Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma shook her head. "No," she paused, not knowing if she wanted to reveal her thoughts but thought the whole truth would be better than lying through omission. "I wasn't going to wake you, you were sleeping so peacefully."

"I want you to wake me, honey," Regina said quickly. "It's okay." She kissed her softly, trying to show her love and reassurance.

"I was going to take the potion," she admitted quietly. "But I didn't want to disappoint you."

"You didn't," the Queen reassured her. "I'm happy you woke me and told me. What do you need me to do?"

Emma smiled softly, "exactly the same as you've been doing all night. Just hold me."

So Regina did. She pulled her princess into her arms and kissed her forehead, running her fingers through her hair as it clearly relaxed her. Within moments, Emma fell asleep once more.

She woke twice more during the night but once was to use the bathroom and the other was to Regina's soft eyes looking at her.

"I've got you," she said softly, pressing a kiss to Emma's temple. She cuddled her close, not even asking what Emma had dreamt. It was the quickest Emma fell back asleep.

By the time morning broke, the two were pretty exhausted after a disruptive night but Regina woke up with a smile.

"I'm proud of you," she said quietly. She had thought perhaps Emma might cave and take the potion if she woke up and Regina was still asleep but the dark circles under Emma's eyes showed that she hadn't. If she had taken the potion, she would be bright and chatty. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Emma replied which was proved by the loud yawn that followed. She looked sheepishly at the Queen who looked just as exhausted. "I'm sorry it was such a rough night."

Regina reached out to cup Emma's face softly. "Don't worry. The first is always the worst. We'll get through it."

Unfortunately for the two, Emma's nightmares continued for another week where Emma woke up at least once during the night but apart from the first two nights, she didn't wake up more than three times.

Just when they though she was getting better after having three nights in a row where she only woke up once, she then woke up three times two weeks after taking the potion for the last time.

When she woke up that morning, Regina found the blonde sobbing quietly to herself. Emma felt so guilty that Regina's sleep was being so disjointed because of her. It didn't help that Ally was currently under the weather and kept waking up during the night too. Oddly enough, Emma didn't wake when Alexandra cried. Regina was then waking when Ally woke and when Emma did. The poor woman couldn't catch a break.

It took a solid three weeks before Emma slept through the entire night. When they woke up the next morning, Regina revealed that that meant the potion was finally out of her system to which both women were grateful. Things could only go up from here.

Which they did.

Now Emma was sleeping through the night and Alexandra was much better, Regina was also able to get a good night's sleep. The new uplifted mood was sensed around the castle, even around the Kingdom to an extent. The guards were all rather confused when the Queen was seen smiling around the castle.

The next week, Maleficent came over to dinner. The dragon had been avoiding it for the past few weeks as she didn't know what had happened between the Queen and the Princess and she knew if Emma had told Regina the truth, which she hoped she had, Regina wouldn't be too pleased that Emma told Maleficent the truth prior to her. Therefore, when she arrived, she asked the guards of Emma's whereabouts, not the Queen's, and as per usual, Emma was found in the library.

"Who knew you could read!" Mal joked as she entered.

Emma's head snapped up at the sudden company. Laughing, she shut her book and placed it on the table beside her, putting it face down so the dragon couldn't see what she had been perusing. "I'd tell you all about my master's degree if you understood what that was," Emma sassed back before sitting up. "But seeing as you don't, I'll just say, rude!" She reached out and sent a zap up Mal's arm.

"Hey!" Mal sent a shot back which Emma retaliated once more, sending a more powerful zap. The dragon held her arms up in surrender. "Alright, alright!" She laughed. "You're clever, I get it."

Emma smiled and nodded her head in triumph. "Exactly."

Maleficent then reached out to the book Emma had been reading. The Princess tried to prevent it, but the dragon was too quick. She whistled lowly. "You're reading Cora's old magic books?"

Emma bit her lip. "Maybe? Why?"

The dragon looked impressed. "Do you understand it?"

"I guess," Emma shrugged. "Some bits a clearer than others. I mean, I try and ignore the horrible parts, but everyday spells and potions are useful to know."

At the mention of potions, Mal raised her eyebrows. "Speaking of, how did all that go?"

"We're good," Emma admitted. "We talked it all through. I told her everything." She bit her lip guiltily. "Including that you knew everything first."

"I take it she wasn't too happy with that?" Mal presumed and Emma nodded the affirmative.

"No, but she understands why I had to do it," Emma revealed. She sighed. "But I'm off the potion well and truly. I'll never take it again, no matter the situation. I don't want to lose her."

Mal sat down in the empty armchair that usually hosted Henry and took Emma in for a few minutes, not saying anything. "You're not anything like your mother," she commented finally.

Emma cocked her head to the side. She was a little confused as many people had told her that she was just like Snow. She hadn't particularly liked it but hearing that she wasn't like her mother was a little befuddling. "How so?"

The dragon continued take Emma in silently, putting the other blonde on edge for a moment.

"Say something, please?

"You're kind and completely selfless," Mal said simply with a shrug. "I've only met your mother a handful of times but every time I did, I saw why Regina was so against her. All Snow cares about is herself and Charming but not in the way you care about Regina." Maleficent took a deep breath. "She acts like she can't live without him, like her love for him is her oxygen. She would trample on anyone and anything if it meant she could have him. Like if there was a choice between him dying slowly and spending more time with her than a quick and painless death, she'd choose the former."

Emma stared at the dragon for a few moments, taking in what she'd said. She could also agree, Snow had chosen to stay with Charming in Neverland than go back with Emma and Henry to Storybrooke. No matter the choice, Charming was always Snow's priority, not Emma.

As Emma thought about it, she knew that no matter how much she loved and adored Regina, she knew that if Alexandra or Henry needed her, she'd be there in a heartbeat. Being a mother was the most important part of her life, Henry had taught her that.

"I guess," she said instead. She didn't want to get into all the ins and outs of it all. She just hoped that Snow would be better for her brother.

"There you two are," said another voice.

The two blondes looked up to see Regina walking with Alexandra on her hip, heading towards the two of them.

"Mally!" The baby called as she saw the dragon.

Emma scoffed. "Thanks, baby girl," she laughed. "Nice to know you love me."

"Mama, you silly," Ally giggled as Emma reached out and took her daughter out of her wife's arms and tickled her.

"I'm silly?" Emma asked rhetorically, smirking at her daughter. "I think you're silly." She continued tickling her.

"Stooooop, Mama!" Ally cried but she continued to giggle as she wriggled in Emma's arms.

"Em," Regina chuckled. "Pack it in."

"Yes ma'am." Emma then passed the baby over to the dragon who kissed her softly on the forehead. "Shall we head to dinner?"

The dinner went perfectly as usual. Unexpectedly, Regina wasn't any different with the dragon than she usually was. In fact, she even commented that the two blondes now got on so well that Emma felt comfortable going to her for advice. Even with the mention of their slight difficultly, the evening went swimmingly and Mal agreed to come to dinner two weeks following as she already had plans for this coming week though she didn't reveal them making Regina rather curious.

oOoOo

A few more months past and along with it, Alexandra's second birthday, which was much more subdue than her first, of which the royal couple were thankful. As the year previous, it was the same people over for a family meal but with no interruptions of Chernabogs or Rumple and Ally loved every minute of it.

On a sunny afternoon, a week after Ally's birthday, Emma was found, as per usual, curled up in front of the fire in the library reading a book. She'd spent all morning with Alexandra and Nanny Kala while Regina was in a meeting with her advisors. The Queen was still in the meeting and Ally had fallen asleep, so Emma decided to read. As well as she got on with the Nanny, she often found it difficult to talk to her when Ally wasn't there to distract them. Emma had had lunch with Killian, but he was now off gallivanting with Lina, leaving Emma on her own once more.

"I thought I would find you here," Henry said as he walked towards the blonde.

Looking up from her book, she smiled. "Hey, Henry." She folded the corner of her page over and set the book down on the table beside her. "Is everything okay?"

"Always better whenever I see you, my dear," Henry said happily as he sat beside his daughter in law. "Can I join you?"

"Course." She gestured to the chair beside her and sat up properly. She waved her hand and produced a tray of tea and biscuits for the two but as she did so, she realised that she'd left the book in the eyeline of Henry.

"Why are you reading Cora's magic books?" Henry asked. His voice was impassive which worried Emma. Usually she could read Henry very easily, but right now was a very different story. "Surely, you know the dark magic these books contain?"

"I avoid the dark ones mostly," she replied quickly. She snatched the book back and waved her hand over it. The two watched as it floated back to the shelf on which it belonged. "It's just fascinating getting a different view. Mal's taught me some things and everything else has been from Regina. I always found it better to have multiple teachers. Each one can show you something different and you can learn different approaches and find which one suits you better."

Henry's eyes darkened. "But not from Cora."

Emma took in her father in law silently for a few minutes, trying to figure out what he was thinking. When she couldn't, she simply had to ask him. "Did you love her?"

Henry's head snapped up, his chocolate brown eyes meeting the curious green. It took a few moments, but he replied quietly. "Yes."

He was silent for a few moments before he stood up and looked out of the window. Emma slowly followed him until they stood side by side, watching the birds fly.

"When I was sixteen, I met a princess called Briar Rose and we fell in love," Henry said quietly, not looking away from outside. "We swore that one day we would get married. I even had a ring made, but it wasn't to be. Her father was much more powerful than mine and promised her to King Stephan's son, Stephan the 3rd. I haven't seen her since I was twenty. My father saw that I was down and hosted a ball to find a suitable wife. Cora showed up and spun straw into gold and he signed my life away. However, she intrigued me. She was beautiful and clever and the more I got to know her, I found she had a wicked sense of humour, she was a breath of fresh air. I fell in love, deeply, and then Regina was born and I thought my life was complete." He took a deep breath. "She then became obsessed with making Regina Queen and lost sight of how a true mother should be. I saw how Briar Rose was with her daughter, Aurora, and I still think perhaps that union would have been better. Then again, I wouldn't have Regina and a life without my darling daughter isn't worth thinking about."

Finally, he turned to Emma and saw her smiling softly.

"I can agree with you there," she said. "She is the most wonderful woman in the world."

He raised his eyebrow at the blonde. "Then it baffles me why you haven't proposed yet."

Emma's eyes widened in shock and she coughed in surprised. "Oh, umm, yeah about that…" she trailed off as she tried to come up with the reason behind it. She wanted to marry Regina, of course she did, but she still wanted it to be in Storybrooke surrounded by all their friends and family. Then it hit her. She wouldn't be able to have Henry and Mal there if they waited until then.

As she opened her mouth to reply, Rumple flashed before her eyes and his warning rang loudly in her ears. She had thought back on his words since his initial visit and she had come to a conclusion that she had yet to voice.

"I think my proposal to Regina will be the trigger to open the portal back to the future…"

 _A/N: We are slowly but surely reaching the point where Emma goes back to the future! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, I love reading all your reviews so keep them coming! Let me know how you think Emma will make her way back, you never know, you could be right :D Love, Emss x_


	40. Chapter 40

"Then perhaps that is why you should propose," Henry said calmly, as if commenting on the weather, not the fact that he was suggesting Emma asked Regina to marry her so that she would go back to the future and leave her behind.

"What?" Emma cried incredulously, she couldn't actually believe Henry had said that. "You want me to propose _so_ I go back to the future?" She asked, making sure that she'd heard correctly.

Henry looked out to the window again. "You have to go back some day, Emma," he commented. "If this is it, then you can put Regina out of her misery and marry her _and_ get both of your lives back on track to how they're meant to be. It's a win, win situation. Can't you see that?"

Emma was still staring at Henry who was still avoiding her gaze. Her mouth wide open in shock, she scoffed in disbelief.

"Put her out of her misery?" She repeated. "Regina isn't miserable."

"No, but she does want to marry you." Henry said it so simply. Emma didn't know how he managed it.

"So how does that make her miserable?" Emma asked, she was very confused. "I don't understand? I want to marry Regina, of course I do. I want us to be official that way, hell in every way, whatever that means, but Rumple warned us that something would happen if we got married. It has to be the portal back home. I'm not ready to go back yet."

Henry turned away from the window. "You've changed the past, Emma," he reminded her, "surely that means Regina will be waiting for you back home with open arms. Don't you want that?"

"Of course I do," Emma said immediately, "I just don't think it'll be that easy." She sighed. "What if I haven't changed anything and I was meant to come back for everything to happen? That would mean that something has to happen for everyone to forget I was ever here. Forget about Ally…" she trailed off as she didn't want to think about it. "I don't know what my arrival will be like when I get back. I just know that things won't be as easy as you think."

Henry then reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a small box. It wasn't difficult to work out what it was. "Everything is easy if you put your mind to it," he said simply before holding out the box. "I had intended to give this to Briar Rose, but it wasn't to be. This is my gift to you, Emma."

Reluctantly, Emma took the box out of Henry's hand with shaking hands. Slowly, she opened the box and saw the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. It was a delicate white gold band, that seemed so fragile even in Emma's petit hands, with a large princess cut diamond in the centre. It wasn't too big that it seemed out of place on the delicate band, it was the perfect size. Either side of the diamond was a small ruby. It was absolute perfection.

Glancing up, she saw Henry looking hesitant. "When I decided to give it to you to give to Regina, I added the rubies," he admitted. "She's a fan of them."

"I know," Emma replied breathlessly. "When I thought of what ring I would give her, there were always rubies involved. Henry, this is beautiful. Are you sure I can have it?"

Henry nodded. "The ring deserves to be worn," he said simply. "Why not on Regina's hand?"

Emma looked at her soon to be official father in law with watery eyes. "This is perfect. I can't thank you enough, Henry."

"You don't have to," Henry said quietly. He then turned and made his was back over to the armchairs and sat down.

Taking the hint, Emma joined him. She opened the ring box once more and ran her finger gently over the jewels.

"What are you thinking in that beautiful head of yours?" Henry asked softly.

Emma glanced up and smiled softly. "I just don't know when to do it," she replied as she reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I know I want to, God," she laughed in disbelief, "Regia is so beautiful, kind, funny, clever." She shook her head as she realised who she was talking to. "Obviously you know all of that."

Henry smiled. "Of course I do, but hearing it from you makes me so wonderfully happy," he revealed. He reached out and squeezed Emma's knee. "That's everything a father wants to hear from their daughter's future spouse. I sense some hesitation, however."

"There is no hesitation in my desire to marry Regina," Emma said quickly. "I've wanted that for a very long time. Perhaps before I even came to the past and I never realised it. Now I have the opportunity to do so but I feel like it's not the right time."

Henry was silent for a few moments. He rested his hands in his lap, his fingers linked as he pondered. Then finally, he seemed to come up with the solution. Taking a deep breath, he simply said: "With the way things are, Em, it's now or never."

oOoOo

That afternoon, Emma had plans to meet Ruby in a local tavern under the pretence of going out with Hook. The pirate was also heading to the tavern but to have a drink with Lina who had the afternoon off and would be meeting him there. Regina wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Emma heading into the village, but Emma had assured her that she would be disillusioned and no one would recognise her.

Hook met Emma in the entrance hall of the castle and the two began their walk. When they reached the borders of the castle, Emma cast the spell on herself. Her hair shifted from her bright blonde to deep mahogany, her eyes went from green to dark grey and her skin darkened a fraction.

The pirate whistled lowly. "Looking good, Swan," he commented and then laughed as Emma shoved him. "Will Ruby know what to look out for?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, this is how I've looked in the past."

The two walked through the borders of the castle grounds, feeling the rush of energy pass through them from the protection spells.

"You'd think I'd be used to that feeling by now," Hook mused as they started walking.

"You'd think," Emma repeated quietly.

The pirate stopped immediately and turned on the blonde turned brunette. "Right, what's going on?" He asked. "You're usually a lot more chatty that this."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes, unable to help herself. She forgot how well the pirate had come to know her over the past couple of years.

"Henry gave me a ring…"

The captain's brows furrowed in confusion. "Regina's father proposed to you?"

At that, Emma couldn't help the bark of laughter. It was so loud, nearby birds flew away. She continued to laugh and had to wipe away a few tears.

"I'm sorry!" She spluttered as the laughter continued with Hook growing increasingly annoyed and embarrassed. "But that was funny." Soon enough, she managed to calm her laughter down. "Alas no. Henry did not ask me to marry him." She chuckled again. "He gave me it so I could propose to Regina."

Hook whistled again. "He must be getting desperate for someone to make an honest woman out of his daughter…ow!" He cried when Emma zapped him, something that seemed to have become a habit, then again, Hook kept making comments which warranted being zapped. "Sorry! I am surprised you've waited this long though. I'd have thought you'd have proposed as soon as Ally was born. Do you still feel like you'd be cheating on the future Regina?"

"It's not that, not anymore," she revealed and sighed again. "It's more the fact that Rumple said that something would happen if we got married."

The pirate's eyes widened. "The trigger?"

Emma nodded. "I think so." She bit her lip nervously. "I don't know if I'm ready to go back yet. I mean, do you want to? Leave Lina behind?"

Hook was quiet for a few seconds as he thought it over. It would be upsetting to leave Lina behind, but he had to hope that he would see her again someday. He wasn't sure of it as he hadn't seen her in Storybrooke, but then again, he'd not known her to look out for her.

"I mean, I will miss her if I don't see her when we're back, but we have to go back eventually, Swan, why not now?"

Instead of answering, Emma set off walking again. Taking the hint, the pirate followed and changed the conversation for the rest of their journey, accepting her one-word answers for reply.

Luckily, they reached the tavern in record time. It seemed Emma had unconsciously been walking quicker after Hook's unanswered question.

Ever the gentleman, well now anyway, Hook opened the tavern door and allowed Emma to step in in front on him. Immediately, Emma's eyes searched for Ruby and wasn't surprised to find her sitting in the back corner. However, what was unusual was the serious face she wore. Ruby's eyes were gazing in front of her without seeing anything and her shoulders were slumped.

"Shit," Emma murmured.

"Everything alright, Swan?" Hook asked.

Emma nodded to where Ruby was sitting. "She doesn't look happy, does she?"

Hook pulled a face. "Good luck there. Let's get her a drink and see if that cheers her up."

The two made their way over to the counter and the pirate asked for two ales and two rums as he had somehow managed to persuade Lina that rum was now her favourite drink. Emma didn't know how he'd managed it. When their drinks arrived, the two went their separate ways, joining their guests at their respective tables.

As she approached, Ruby didn't shift. It was only when Emma sat down, placing the tankard of ale in front of her, that she realised she was no longer alone.

"Oh, hey," she said quickly as she blinked rapidly and sat up, as if trying to refocus.

"Everything alright?" Emma asked carefully.

Ruby faked a smile. "Yes, of course!" She said quickly, "Why wouldn't they be?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at the clear lie. She didn't need her detector, that was currently pinging like crazy, to know it. "Red," she sighed. "Tell me what's going on. Is everything alright?"

The wolf sighed at being caught out. "Yes and no," she repealed slowly. When Emma didn't reply, she continued. "You know you were asking why Snow and Charming hadn't got married yet?"

In at the deep end, Emma mused to herself before she nodded. She'd often wondered why her parents were yet to marry. She tried to cast her mind back on Henry's book, as she'd been unable to find the one that she'd seem many months ago again, to the time scale of when they married. It was after they had defeated King George and after Charming had saved Snow with True Love's kiss after she'd eaten the poisoned apple. Obviously with Regina not currently fighting Snow, she'd not given her the apple.

"Well I found out why," Ruby said slowly.

"And?" Emma urged when the wolf stopped speaking and instead took a sip of her ale that had been sitting on the table untouched until now.

Ruby cleared her throat. "Snow wants to defeat the Queen before they marry," she revealed. "I get why. It would be a total fuck you to Regina."

"Red," Emma warned. The wolf knew just how much Emma hated it when she badmouthed the Queen, though she had to remember that Red was on team Snow and wouldn't start liking Regina as a friend for a very long time.

"Whatever," Ruby waved off Emma's warning. "I'm just repeating what Snow hinted at. They want total domination over the Kingdom, but I don't think they'll end there. They're already planning to take over King Stephan's Kingdom, especially with his daughter under that sleeping curse and her prince no where to be seen."

 _So that's what's preoccupying Maleficent at the moment,_ Emma thought to herself, but she quickly schooled her facial expression so Ruby wouldn't ask what was going on.

"They want ultimate control," Ruby continued, obviously missing Emma's moment. "They think that once Regina is defeated, everyone else will just bow down to them." She sighed. "You have to admit it, if they did conquer Regina, it would show that they were very powerful."

"But they won't win," Emma said, finally speaking again. "They can't go up against her yet especially. Ally's not even three!"

"They're getting impatient, Em," Ruby said sadly. She had taken to calling the blonde by her nickname which made Emma feel like they were back in Storybrooke. "Can you get the Queen to do something to delay them without actually killing them?"

Emma paused to think for a moment. Perhaps this would be where the poisoned apple came into play. The blonde shut her eyes to think harder, trying to remember how Henry's storybook told the tale of Snow willingly eating the apple. King George took Charming, which obviously wouldn't happen now he'd been taken over so that would be different. Perhaps Regina could ask Maleficent to do so instead. Regina could then threaten Snow with killing Charming if she doesn't eat the apple, that would still be true to the original story.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it," Emma said eventually.

"It might be the only idea," Red replied with a shrug.

Emma took in her friend for a few seconds. "Why do you trust me so much?" She asked. She had often wondered why the wolf believed her and trusted her so much when they still didn't really know each other, even though they'd known each other in this time for well over a year.

Ruby shrugged again. "I have a good trust in character," she answered simply, "and you've had plenty of opportunities to have me arrested for conspiring with the Queen's enemy or whatever, but you haven't."

"I'd never!" Emma said quickly. "That would make our future together pretty awkward." She chuckled and Red joined in before becoming serious once more.

"You know, I'm quite looking forward to this new place you've mentioned," she revealed with a wistful sigh. "I could use some time to forget about my life here." She frowned as her gaze turned to her lap.

Emma reached out and squeezed her hand supportively. "You'll find someone, I promise." Ruby had previously told Emma the full story about what had happened to Peter. She'd held her friend while she cried.

At that, the wolf's head snapped up and her light green eyes met Emma's fake grey. "I'm with someone in the future?"

Emma's heart almost broke at the hopeful tone in her voice. She smiled sadly before shaking her head. "Not when I left," she admitted. "But I know there is someone out there for you. Someone fiery and fierce. Everyone has a True Love out there. I promise I will be there every step of the way to help you find yours." She sighed. "And you can help me get Regina back."

The wolf's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Back?"

Emma grimaced. "When I left, she was with someone else," she said slowly, the pain of seeing Regina and Robin playing happy families with Henry and Roland still burned in her memory. "I don't know if that will still be the case when I'm back, but I don't see why it shouldn't be."

Ruby raised her ale, indicating that Emma should follow her. "To finding out True Loves," she toasted.

Emma smiled and clinked her tankard against the wolf's before taking a sip. "God help us!"

oOoOo

Emma didn't stay much longer after finishing her first drink. She didn't want to worry Regina or smell like a brewery when she returned. Ruby left with her, taking Emma's promise to halt Snow in her tracks with her. All Emma had to do now was convince the Queen, she was sure it wouldn't take much.

To her surprise, when she entered the dining room, after briefly stopping by their bedroom to get changed, she saw Maleficent and Regina sitting at the table with Ally in the dragon's arms.

"Mama!" Ally cried when she saw her mother. Emma had removed the disillusionment charm once she was over the castle grounds so that the guards wouldn't think she was an intruder.

"Hello baby!" She called back. She crossed the room in a heartbeat and took the wriggling baby out of Mal's arms. "Hey you," she greeted the dragon by hip bumping her. "This is a surprise, I thought you were busy?" She raised her eyebrow.

"That's what I said," Regina said. "But she wouldn't tell me. Hello, by the way," she added to the blonde.

"Hey," Emma replied as she leant down to peck the Queen sweetly before turning back to the dragon. "Go on then, give us all the gossip."

Maleficent simply rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to tell. My plans have just changed."

Emma sat down in her usual seat opposite the dragon and started pulling faces at Alexandra to make her giggle. "Does this have anything to do with the sleeping curse you've placed on King Stephan's daughter?" Emma asked without looking up from Ally who was loving life laughing at her mother's silly faced.

"How do you know about that?" At the surprised tone, Emma looked up to see Mal looking a little affronted, even Regina looked half surprised and half impressed.

"I hear things," Emma shrugged before shifting Ally in her arms so that the baby could lean against her neck. "Besides, I wanted to ask if we could borrow the spell."

"What?" Regina gasped. "What's going on?"

Emma sighed. "I need to be honest," she cleared her throat. "I have a contact, an insider in Snow's castle." Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise but impressively, she didn't say anything, nor did the dragon but Emma was sure nothing ever got past her. "Snow and Charming are getting restless, they want to defeat Regina and then get married and live happily every after. Obviously, I need them to get married so I'm born, but it can't be yet." She took a deep breath. "So I was thinking that if Mal kidnapped Charming and you," she turned to the Queen, "put Snow under a sleeping curse, then that would buy us some time. Then when they eventually _find_ each other," it took Emma so much strength not to roll her eyes at the term, "we should have some extra time."

The dragon and Queen were quiet for a few moments, taking in everything Emma had said. It was Maleficent who broke the silence first.

"Well I'm game," she said, her eyes flashed in excitement. "I do love capturing Charming, it's almost my favourite sport."

Emma couldn't help the chuckle that emitted. "Just don't hurt him too much."

"Boo, you're no fun," Mal snarked making Emma laugh again before sobering as she looked to the Queen.

"Ginny?" Emma said quietly, trying to urge the Queen to say something, _anything_.

Slowly, Regina blinked and released a deep breath. "So you're saying you want me to willingly hurt Snow?"

"It's going to happen at some point," Emma murmured quietly. "It happened in the original storyline, so it must happen now. Snow needs to be put under a sleeping curse at some point, it's kinda a big deal in the movie too."

"What's a movie?" Regina asked and Emma chuckled again.

"I'll show you in the future," she replied. She glanced at both Regina and Maleficent. "So, will you do it?"

"You don't have to ask me twice," Mal said, "and I always have a stash of the sleeping potion to hand, you never know when it'll come in use. When do you want it to happen?"

Emma tilted her head to side, pondering the question. "I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know." The dragon nodded. The two noted that the Queen didn't actually answer the request, but Emma chose to ignore it for now. Instead, she turned to the dragon, "so, the tale of Sleeping Beauty, shoot!"

Maleficent rolled her eyes but eventually started telling Emma and the Queen the story of putting Aurora under the curse and cursing Philip into a horrific beast. Emma knew she should be disgusted and annoyed at the clear act of evil, but she couldn't help but admire Maleficent's power. Plus, she'd heard what Stephan had done in betraying her all those years ago, she didn't really blame her.

While the dragon told her tale, Regina nodded along and smiled throughout, clearly enjoying Maleficent's misdeeds against Sleeping Beauty and her family. Emma, on the other hand, slipped back in her chair, getting comfortable and sat in silence with the light weight of the ring box still in her pocket, trying to figure out when would be the right moment to propose.


	41. Chapter 41

A couple of months past and Emma never failed to carry the small ring box with her wherever she went in case the perfect moment arose to propose to the Queen. If she was being truthful, there had actually been a few, but she'd never managed pluck up enough courage. When she actually tried, she'd either been distracted or things just hadn't gone in the way she'd wanted.

The first time was after a full day of just the three of them. Nanny Kala was a little under the weather and didn't want to pass it onto the young princess, something Regina admired in the Nanny. Her Nannies growing up would continue, regardless of how they felt, and Regina would end up full of cold too. Naturally her mother would never blame the Nanny, simply stating that Regina's immune system was clearly lacking. So with Nanny Kala in bed, Regina cancelled her plans for the day and she and Emma spent all day entertaining their little girl. Well Regina did, Emma spent most of the day watching Regina interact with Alexandra and it made her heart turn into mush. She couldn't help but imagine Regina doing the same little pretend games with Henry when he was growing up.

That evening, after they put Ally to bed, Emma swore she was going to propose. Her heart was so full of love and high spirits from the day, even the portal opening wouldn't be able to knock her down. They were lying in bed, side by side, with Regina resting in Emma's arms telling her how much she'd enjoyed the day. Emma opened her mouth, about to start the speech she'd been preparing when Regina pressed their lips together and distracted Emma in all the best ways.

The next time was after another dinner with Mal, Hook and Henry. Having their slightly unconventional family around Emma made her happy. It still completely baffled her how well she and Maleficent got on now that they weren't fighting for the same woman. Even Hook had made a light joke of it which then caused the blondes to gang up on him. This was something that was quickly becoming one of Mal's favourite pastimes as the pirate was so easy to anger.

However, despite the banter at the table, Henry kept shooting her knowing looks and patted his pocket subtly reminding her that she should propose as she'd revealed to him that she'd always had the ring with her. She could understand why he thought now was a good moment. There was a quiet moment of their meal where their main course plates had been removed and they were waiting for their dessert to arrive. Ally was happily babbling to Maleficent and Hook and Regina were actually having a civil conversation. However, just as Emma centred herself and turned to the Queen, Lumiere rushed from the kitchen announcing that the chef had an accident with the flambé pudding and needed immediate medical attention which put a damper on the moment and Emma slumped back in her chair after yet another failed attempt.

The final time Emma attempted to propose, she'd purposely organised a surprise meal on the balcony in the dining room with the intent of asking her love to marry her, no distractions. The sunset was their back drop and the warm air was like a supportive hug. It was all overly romantic, but Regina had accidentally ruined the moment.

"This is very romantic of you," she commented over their starter of a small goat's cheese tart, one of Regina's favourites.

"Oh?" Emma said nervously. The forkful of food hovering in front of her mouth as she paused to take in the Queen's reaction.

"The sunset, my favourite food," the Queen revealed before a small laugh and shake of her head. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd have thought you were going to propose." Emma's food fell off her fork as it dropped to the table. Thinking she'd said something wrong, Regina hurriedly added, "but I know you're not, so it's okay."

Emma's eyes widened and her breath intake stuttered. She exhaled slowly as she picked up her fork. "Yeah," she said distractedly. "Something like that."

The Queen took Emma in for a few moments, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. If she was honest, she was hoping the statement would have gotten the blonde to think about a proposal. It was true, she hadn't mentioned marriage since she and Emma had argued about it, but that didn't mean she didn't still crave it.

Emma cleared her throat. "If I were to propose," she ignored Regina's breath hitch, "and the portal back to the future opened, what would you do?"

"I'd be devastated," she admitted with a sigh before taking a sip of wine, "but I guess it has to happen at some point, but we'll see each other again, even if I have to wait for a while. If I have Alexandra with me, then it'll be easier as I'd be able to see you in her…" Regina trailed off when she took in Emma's face. "I take by your expression that you think Alexandra will go with you?"

"She wasn't there when I left, Ginny," Emma revealed. She wasn't sure if she'd ever confirmed that to the Queen before. "You'd never adopt Henry if you already had a child. You got Henry to fill a hole. Perhaps it was the hole that Ally currently fills. I don't say it to sound harsh, but I think that will be the reality."

The two were silent for a few ticks of the clock, Emma regretting what she'd just said and Regina thinking it all over.

"Then I don't know what I'll do," Regina admitted. "I've already done terrible things because I lost the one I love but to lose two at the same time…" she trailed off as she tried to keep the tears at bay. Emma reached out and took Regina's hand, lacing their fingers together. "It might just send me over the edge again."

Emma swallowed, afraid that would be the consequence. "Everything will work out, my love, I promise you."

Regina nodded and wiped away the fallen tears that she hadn't managed to keep back before what Emma knew as her 'mayor face' took over and Emma realise the emotional part of their evening was over and the mood was ruined.

"So, when am I giving Snow a poisoned apple?" Regina asked to change the topic.

Emma was reluctant to end the previous conversation as she wanted to delve deeper into Regina's thoughts about what would happen when she left but the Queen clearly didn't want to continue it.

"I was thinking next week?" Emma said. "Mal's going to start flying about their castle to spook them and cause unease and then I thought you could arrange a meeting with Snow and go all…"

"Evil Queen on her?" Regina presumed.

Emma shrugged. "Something like that."

Regina sighed, once more taking a sip of her wine. "I'll see what I can do."

oOoOo

A week later, both Mal and Ruby sent word that Snow and Charming were finalising plans to attack the Queen and both advised that it was time to do something. Regina confirmed with Mal that she had successfully put the sleeping curse in the apple and would send word to Snow to meet her in the stables and while she was distracted, Mal would get Charming. She wouldn't hurt him, though she was heavily tempted to, she would just lock him up in the attic where Snow had been and would 'accidentally' leave something just in his grasp the get him out. Naturally being Charming, he would think he was cleverer than the dragon but everyone else knew that to not be true.

As for Ruby, Emma advised her to just let everything play out how it would and to not get involved. Most importantly, she needed to ensure that she didn't give away the fact that she knew some of what was to happen. Well, she wasn't exactly sure as Emma had never fully revealed the plan, but she knew that Snow and her Prince would be separated and both Regina and Maleficent were involved. After hearing that, she didn't want to know any more.

While Regina and Maleficent set to their tasks, Emma sat in Ally's play room watching her while she played with some wooden blocks. She kept piling them up carefully before knocking them down, giggling happily as she did so. All Emma had to do was ensure that Ally didn't hurt herself while doing it and to magic the blocks back to her if they fell too far. It sounded dull but watching Ally's face light up with glee every time the blocks tumbled over was worth it. Besides, it kept her mind occupied while her love and one of her best friends captured her parents. So she was more than happy to step in when Nanny Kala asked for the morning off the day prior to run some family errands. As she rarely asked for time off, Emma immediately granted it.

There was a quiet knock on the door which brought Emma out of her inner thoughts. "Come in!" She called.

The door opened slowly to reveal Henry. Ally looked up at the visitor and grinned. "Grandpa!" She cried. Slowly she stood up and waddled to meet him. "Up!" She requested as she reached her arms up.

Henry, ever the wonderful grandfather, leant down immediately, despite his growing aches and pains, and cuddled his granddaughter to his chest. "Hello, flower," he greeted as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He crossed the room and sat beside Emma on one of the other armchairs. "Hello," he added to the other blonde.

"Hey," Emma said absentmindedly as she waved her hand over the wooden blocks, getting them to pile up in the corner so no one trip over them as Ally was clearly done playing for now. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," Henry said quickly, a fraction too quickly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "You rarely seek me out in the middle of the day for an idle chat anymore," she replied with a sigh and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "If this is about proposing–"

"Can't a gentleman want to see his daughter in a law and granddaughter on a warm afternoon?" He asked, cutting Emma off. "I wanted to see if you two would accompany me for a walk around the gardens."

"Sure," Emma answered, her voice full of disbelief but she stood up anyway. She reached out and stroked Ally's hair. "Want me to take her?"

"If you don't mind."

Henry passed his granddaughter over who was slightly confused as her grandfather would usually hold her longer. "We're going to go outside for a while, would you like that?" Emma asked Ally who simply nodded.

The three made their way outside and Henry led them to Regina's apply tree. Emma placed Ally on the floor after quickly casting a softening charm on the ground. This way, if she did fall, she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Toys?" Ally requested and Emma nodded. With another wave of her hand, Ally's wooden blocks appeared in front of her and she sat down, content to continue her game.

The two adults watched Ally play with Emma brining a stray block to her every now and then.

"I've tried to propose at least three time," Emma muttered quietly. "The first time I got distracted," her face flushed which said everything Henry needed to know about that failed time, preventing him from asking. "The second was at dinner with you, Mal and Hook that ended up with a burnt chef and the final time was last week. I had it all planned, a romantic dinner on the balcony. Just the two of us but that was ruined when Regina saw through it and ruined it by saying she didn't expect me to propose." Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair frustratedly. "Maybe it's fate preventing me from proposing because it knows I'm not ready to go back yet."

"You don't know for sure it's the proposal that's the trigger, Emma," Henry said softly. "Maybe it's the wedding itself." He chuckled when Ally got even more excited at knocking all of her blocks over. "You're thinking about it too much. When the moment is right, it'll happen smoothly. Just wait."

Without saying anything else, he stood up and walked away, leaving Emma behind watching Alexandra.

"I wish he didn't think things were so easy," Emma muttered to herself.

"Easeeee," Ally babbled. Emma looked down and saw her daughter looking back at her, her own eyes reflected like a mirror image. "Mama," Ally said as she reached up. "Up, Mama."

With a smile, Emma picked her daughter up and pulled her close. "Your grandpa doesn't half like to meddle," Emma said softly as she rocked her daughter side to side.

"Easeeee," Ally repeated making Emma chuckle. Out of all of that, that had to be the word she'd learnt.

"We'll see, baby."

oOoOo

Emma thought about what Henry said for the rest of the day. She stayed outside for a little while longer as Ally was enjoying the warm breeze but as it started to cool, she took her back inside at the same time Nanny Kala returned. She thanked the Princess for the time off which Emma waved it off. She bopped Ally on her nose, making her giggled before leaving her daughter in the Nanny's capable hands.

Without Ally to keep her mind occupied, she headed up to the library to find a fiction book she had yet to read. Soon enough, she found an alternate version of what she surmised was the Emperor's New Groove. A selfish Emperor wanted to take over a palace in a distant land, but his advisor was trying to prevent him from doing so as she wanted to take over. The only difference was she didn't turn him into a llama in the process.

Instead of staying in the library, she made her way up to Regina's sitting room, knowing the Queen would prefer to arrive there after her ordeal and she wasn't surprised after an hour or so to hear the tell-tale signs of the Queen and dragon making their way up.

Emma glanced up as they entered the room. Both had the look of an adrenaline junkie who had just had the thrill of their lives.

"That was brilliant," Regina sighed as she flopped down next to Emma. "I'd forgotten the thrill of watching Snow fall." Her eyes glistened with excitement that made Emma a little wary.

"She is alright, isn't she?" She asked as she put her book down on the table.

"Of course," Regina said quickly. "The Dwarves have got her and are trying to keep her warm. She won't die," Regina assured her. "She's just asleep."

"Charming will figure out the rusty sword in the corner will be enough to free him in a couple of days," Mal added. "They're going to be fine. Beside she deserves it." Emma raised her eyebrow. "She does!" She turned to Regina. "Remember the time she walked in on one of our lessons and started screaming because she wanted us to get caught?" Regina nodded. "She couldn't just ask us nicely what we were doing. She was a spoilt little princess."

"Well, she did almost catch us kissing…" Regina revealed, her face flushing which just made Maleficent chuckle. Both Emma's eyebrows shot up. "But she didn't, and we stopped having lessons at the castle after that."

"I'm not surprised," Emma muttered before deciding to change the subject quickly. "So, tell me how it went?"

Regina and Mal then told their separate tales with Regina going first. She told her love how she met Snow at the stables and the Queen revealed just exactly what happened to Daniel. Charming was in the trees making sure that Regina wouldn't hurt Snow when Maleficent captured him and took him to her castle.

Emma winced as she heard how willingly Snow took the apple once she'd heard that Mal had Charming before sighing. "So it worked?"

"Beautifully," Mal replied.

Mal ended up staying for dinner before she headed off. She had to make sure Charming had something to eat, she wasn't that cruel, leaving Emma and Regina alone. They walked back to their bedroom hand in hand and Emma's attention was captured by the moonlight that was shining through the gap on the balcony doors. The subtle glow called Emma outside.

"Come with me?" Emma requested as she held her hand out.

The Queen looked confused but took Emma's hand nonetheless.

Emma led them to the balcony and smiled as she felt the warm air surround them. It wasn't too stuffy or humid. The sky was clear and she could see all the stars in the sky. It set the mood for what was about to happen perfectly. She heard Henry's comment of how easy it would be when the moment was right running through her head.

"Is everything alright?" Regina asked hesitantly as the two rarely stood out on the balcony in their room, even in the summer.

"It's more than alright," Emma replied. She turned to look at the Queen and as always, her beauty took her breath away, especially with her face gently illuminated by the moonlight. "Since the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the most beautiful woman I had ever and would ever see. It's your eyes, they're so honest and hopeful," Emma said quietly. She reached out and cupped Regina's face, gazing into her chocolate eyes. Regina found it difficult to keep eye contact with Emma's powerful loving gaze. "I get lost in them every time I look into them." She thumbed Regina's face softly before brushing her thumb over her lips. "And these are so soft and kissable. I could kiss you all day."

Regina chuckled softly. "Be my guest."

Emma's lips broke out into a soft smile as she closed the gap between them and kissed her gently.

"I love you, Regina," Emma said honestly, a small disbelieving laugh accompanied her statement. "You make me so happy and make me feel so loved. No one has ever made me feel like that. I feel safe, wanted and _worthy_ when I'm with you." She swallowed and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "You're everything I've ever wanted in my life and I never want to be without you."

Slowly, Emma knelt down on one knee and Regina gasped as she realised what was going on. With a flick of her wrist, Emma conjured the small box Henry had given her. Gently, she opened it, revealing the ring to the very shocked Queen before her.

She swallowed nervously; the next statement could change everything and a portal could open wide, ready to take her back to Storybrooke, or nothing would happen. There was only one thing left to do.

It was time to ask the question.

"My darling, wonderful Queen Regina, the love of my life and the mother of my children, will you do me the greatest honour of becoming my wife?"

Regina gasped as she heard the question that she'd been dying to hear for the past three years. She braced herself, as she feared the portal would open. She even saw Emma glance around in preparation, but when nothing happened, her mind was completely set up.

"Yes!" She cried before pulling Emma up and kissing her passionately. "A thousand times yes. I love you too!" She kissed the blonde again and Emma smiled into the kiss. She had more time to spend with the woman she loved with her family.

Pulling back, she slipped the ring out of the box and onto Regina's finger. It was a perfect fit.

"It's beautiful," Regina gasped. "Where did you get it?"

"That's a story for later," Emma said, "for now, I want to make love to my fiancée!"

She leant in and kissed the Queen passionately as she backed her into their room, their clothes slipping off quickly as their tongues grazed each other and hands wandered. Emma soon found herself lying in the centre of the bed with Regina above her with no recollection how she ended up on the bottom.

"Allow me to make love to my fiancée first," Regina husked as she licked and nibbled her way down Emma's body, making sure to pay extra attention to her stiff nipples, sucking and swirling her tongue around them before she settled in front of her dripping core. She inhaled her love, her mouth was watering in anticipation, before she leant forward and ran her tongue through her, worshiping every inch of her. Her tongue slipped easily through her folds before she settled her lips around her clit, sucking firmly, wanting Emma's first climax to come only from her mouth.

Before long, Emma's hand slipped down and her fingers weaved into Regina's hair, pushing her face closer, as her other hand played with a neglected nipple. With the new extra pressure on her clit, Emma couldn't stop herself as she crested, calling Regina's name around the room but the Queen didn't stop. Instead, she let the blonde ride out her orgasm on her tongue, before she kissed her way back up her body. As she sealed their lips together, two fingers slowly entered the blonde making her moan deliciously into the kiss. Regina curled her fingers with practised precision she'd learnt over the many time she'd made love to the blonde and the way her tongue was caressing Emma's, it didn't take her long to work Emma up to her second climax as she had barely gotten over the first one. Pulling away from her lips, Regina kissed along her jaw to the sweet spot under her neck as her fingers sped up.

"I love you," Regina whispered into Emma's ear as she crested for the second time, and in the heat of the moment, they missed the white glow that settled around Emma's stomach as the two new fiancées made love into the night.


	42. Chapter 42

To Emma surprise, Regina didn't insist on starting wedding plans immediately. In fact, Regina didn't mention the wedding as such. Although, it wasn't like they could announce it to the Kingdom as they all believed that they were already married. With that, they couldn't really have a huge wedding as it would throw everyone off.

"Why not announce it as a blessing?" Mal suggested one evening a week after the proposal. "Or perhaps a renewal of your vows. That might be a bit more believable."

The dragon was over as was typical. She now came over every Wednesday without fail. It had taken great strength for Regina not to contact the dragon beforehand to share her news. Maleficent was barely through the door three days after the proposal when Regina waved her left hand in her face.

Maleficent glanced between both Regina and Emma, the Queen grinning brightly and Emma, with Ally on her hip, was smiling bashfully.

"Oh my God!" Mal cried as she took hold of Regina's hand. "Congratulations! I am so happy for you both!"

"Thank you," Regina practically squealed, she couldn't keep the excitement down.

"Let's get a drink," Mal suggested, "and you can tell me everything!"

The royal couple led Mal into the sitting room with Ally automatically requesting to sit on the dragon's lap as Emma set about to conjuring the tea and a small orange juice for Ally.

Mal look at the tray. "When I said drinks, I meant alcoholic," she laughed.

Regina grinned and flicked her wrist, and her decanter of cider floated from the shelves and landed on the table before them. Three small crystal glasses followed, Regina clearly getting the best glasses out for the occasion. The decanter poured three glasses out which then gently rose off the table and into each of the women's hands.

Emma tried to subtly put her cider on the table as she was feeling a little queasy and didn't want any alcohol, but she didn't want to bring any attention to it. However, she knew it would be obvious as Mal showed signed of wanting to toast so she quickly gave up putting the cider down and held it high.

"To the two of you," Mal saluted, raising her glass.

"To us," Regina and Emma echoed as they sipped, a smile gracing their lips.

Once the toast was over, Emma put her cider down and replaced it for her tea. She felt the dragon's eyes on her, but she ignored it and fortunately, Mal did to.

"So, how did it happen?" The dragon asked.

Regina glanced at Emma, beaming before Emma explained about the failed attempts. After she revealed the attempt on the balcony, Regina blushed in embarrassment.

"I am so sorry!" She gasped, biting her lip.

Emma chuckled. "Don't worry, it worked out for the best in the end." She nodded in the direction of Regina's ring. The Queen had already taken to absentmindedly twisting it around her finger.

"Will Emma be getting a ring too?" Mal asked.

The Queen smirked. "Perhaps," she replied cryptically before changing the subject slightly onto the wedding itself.

The three then went onto discuss various factors of the wedding. When would they prefer it to take place? Would it be outside? Would it happen in the castle or in a church nearby? They also discussed the fact they would probably have to keep it small. This then provoked Maleficent's suggestion of advertising the wedding under a false celebration. Regina pondered this for a few moments.

"I'm not sure," she commented quietly. "I've had the big white wedding to a man I despised." She glanced at Emma and reached out to take her hand. "I'm happy to have a tiny wedding to the woman I adore."

Emma couldn't help the soft smile that broke when she heard the love in Regina's voice whenever she spoke about her.

"We can always have a big party when I'm back in Storybrooke," Emma suggested. "Then we will have everyone there." She kept silent at the fact that Mal and Henry wouldn't be. "And we can have our current family with us now. Surely, it's win, win?"

Regina squeezed Emma's hand reassuringly. "It sounds wonderful," she agreed. "I prefer that to the entire Kingdom knowing anyway. Then it shouldn't get out to those we don't want turning up."

Emma knew that she was talking about her Uncle. Everyone would expect him to turn up at his niece's celebrations. Further to that, Snow and Charming may also hear of it.

"Has Charming escaped yet?" Emma asked.

Regina glanced to Emma, her eyebrow raised wondering where she was going with this.

"I just mean those we don't want turning up," Emma began to explain. "Surely Snow and Charming are on the list?"

"True," Regina realised. She then looked expectantly at Maleficent. "So? Has he escaped?"

Unexpectedly, Maleficent shook her head. "I'd have told you if he had. He's stupider than I thought."

Regina laughed and nodded in agreement.

Emma could only roll her eyes at the comment before sighing. "It's been a month already! Perhaps he needs more motivation?" Emma suggested. "Does he actually know that Snow's under a sleeping curse?"

Mal tipped her head to the side. "I don't know. Perhaps I should taunt that over him? That should hopefully stoke the fire."

"Yes, that sounds right," Regina added. "Or I could go do it?" Her eyes flashed once more with delight that Emma had seen after Regina had poisoned Snow. It didn't scare her, not at all really, but it was the rare moments she got a glimpse of the Evil Queen. Regina then turned to face Emma. "What do you think? Who should do it?"

Emma's eyebrows shot up at being asked the question. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "It would make sense for you," she nodded at her fiancée, "to taunt it over him. It would really poke the bear, but the only issue there is it would ignite their reason to try and defeat you. It would only be a matter of time before the tried."

Regina nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is true. Then Mal should do it instead? We'd have a little more time?"

"I guess, but time for what?" Mal asked, finally voicing the question that Regina had been avoiding for such a long time.

"For me to figure out how to get back to the future," Emma replied. "I thought the proposal would be the trigger, but I guess not."

"So now you think it'll be the wedding instead?" Mal presumed and Emma nodded slowly.

"After what Rumple said, it has to be," she admitted quietly.

"Then we should be waiting as long as possible," Regina said strongly. She stood up and walked away from the blondes.

"Mommy?" Ally called in confusion as to why her mother had suddenly walked away.

Turning back, Regina smiled reassuringly at her daughter before becoming serious once more. "I don't want you leaving yet and as for Snow's prince, leave him for a few more days. The sooner he's out, the sooner he'll save her and we can't be having that yet."

At the tone of her voice, both Emma and Maleficent knew not to argue with her so wedding plans were put on hold.

oOoOo

After Mal left, Emma and Regina settled in the Queen's sitting room. Ally had been put to bed by the Nanny and the two were having a relaxing evening in front of the warm fire with Regina leaning into Emma's strong embrace.

Emma turned to look at the Queen. "I can wait as long as you want for the wedding," Emma murmured, breaking the comfortable silence, "but now I've thought about it and actually managed the proposal," she nudged Regina jokingly, "I don't really want to wait any longer."

Regina shifted so she could see the blonde's face. "Do you want to go back?"

The blonde frowned and shook her head. "Not at all, you know that," she said quickly before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of Regina's head. "I just don't want to wait anymore. I love you and I'm excited to be married to you."

"I just don't want you going anywhere," Regina admitted. She bit her lip nervously. "I'll miss you so much."

Emma sighed. She reached out and cupped Regina's face softly. "I'll miss you too."

The Queen scoffed. "You'll see me immediately," she reminded her. "In fact, I'll be rather pissed if you don't come to find me first."

Emma chuckled before becoming serious. "Is it alright if I find Henry first?" She asked. "It's just I haven't seen him in so long and it'll only feel like five minutes for him, but I miss him and like you said, I'll just have seen you and–"

The blonde's monologue was interrupted by Regina kissing her softly. "This is why you're a fantastic mother," Regina muttered as she pulled back. "The fact you put our kids in front of you." She smiled. "If fact, I insist you find Henry first and then find me."

Emma kissed her softly. "So can we start planning the wedding?" She asked tentatively.

The Queen bit her lip before shaking her head. "No, I'm not ready yet."

Emma nodded glumly. "Okay."

"But," Regina said as she freed her right arm, "I want to give you something to show you that I do want to marry you."

"I think the fact you said yes tells me that," Emma said with a raised eyebrow.

"Shush, you'll ruin the moment," Regina chastised.

"Aye, aye, captain," Emma replied and pretended to zip her mouth up and throw away the key.

Regina couldn't help the chuckle that escaped before she concentrated. She flicked her wrist and a small box, not unlike the one Henry gave to Emma, appeared in her hand. Emma's breath hitched as she realised what was happening.

"I had this made a few months ago," the Queen admitted, "when I thought you were never going to propose so I was coming up with a plan do to it myself."

Emma chuckled but didn't interrupt her.

Regina cleared her throat as she opened the box and Emma gasped as she saw the ring. The band was white gold which matched the ring she'd given to Regina, but half of it was encrusted in small diamonds until they met a large oval diamond in the centre. The central diamond itself was slighter larger than a centimetre in length. She dreaded to contemplate of how expensive it was but all she could think was how beautiful it was.

"I love you, Emma, will you please take this ring as a promise that I do want to marry you?" Regina asked her backward proposal.

Emma nodded emphatically. "Yes!"

Regina beamed as she carefully took the ring out of its box and slid it home onto Emma's finger. As predicted, it was the perfect fit and it looked like it belonged on Emma's finger.

The blonde glanced down at her new accessory and smiled before looking up at the Queen. "I love you too," she murmured before she sealed their lips together in a sweet kiss.

oOoOo

Alexandra's third birthday party happened a month after the proposals. However, this time, it was a smaller birthday with only the royal couple, Mal, Henry and Hook attending. It was during the mingling afterwards that Maleficent pulled Emma aside for more than one reason. She'd already commented on Emma's engagement ring the first time she'd been over after Regina had given it to her. It turned out that Maleficent had help Regina design it which made Emma even happier.

Regina was partaking in a conversation with her father in the corner about her ring. Emma had revealed where it had come from eventually. Her initial fear was unnecessary as Regina loved the idea that her father had designed it for her.

In the other corner, Hook and Ally were talking quietly. She was still showing a higher intelligence for a three-year-old, but Emma and Regina were taking it in their stride. She still physically looked like she'd just turned three, her blonde locks now long enough to show the true wave that flowed through, similar to Emma's but her personality was showing to be more and more Regina every day. She was sassy and rolled her eyes like a trooper, constantly making Emma laugh.

"Em?" Mal said kindly.

The Princess took her gaze away from her daughter and looked at the dragon. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Mal chuckled. "Apparently a monologue."

Emma blushed. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"You're not drinking," Mal said simply. It wasn't a question.

"I'm not no," Emma confirmed, bring her goblet of water to her lips and taking a small sip. "I'm afraid I'm feeling a little under the weather and didn't want any alcohol this evening. Is that alright?" She raised her eyebrow, silently asking for judgement.

Mal lifted her hands up in defence. "Of course," she said quickly. "I don't mean anything bad. It was my backward way of asking if everything was okay."

"I think so, but I have asked the doctor to come tomorrow to confirm my thoughts," Emma revealed. Now this piqued Mal's interests. She raised her eyebrows, silently asking for more, but Emma shook her head. "I don't want to say anything for now. I could be wrong."

"Then perhaps it would be best if I changed the subject?" Mal suggested and Emma nodded. "Then I should probably tell you that your idiot father has _finally_ figured out his way out of my attic."

Emma's eyes widened, she thought her father would have managed to get his way out by now. "How tightly did you have him locked up?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Well Regina said to delay his escape," Mal defended. "So I charmed the locks when he was asleep. I fed him every day, he's fine." Emma raised her eyebrow once more, she truly had been with Regina for far too long. "Perhaps a little worse for wear but he's mostly fine."

"As long as he's not dead," Emma mused.

"Who's not dead?" Asked Regina as she made her way over. Henry had retired for the night as he was tired, so she decided to join her fiancée and best friend.

"My father, it seems," Emma replied as she reached out and wrapped her arm around Regina's waist, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "He's finally escaped from Mal's enchanted locks."

"About time," Regina muttered before looking at Emma. "I seriously don't know where you got your intelligence from with parents like those."

"Nurture over nature, I suppose," Emma shrugged. She had always wondered about it but never thought to ask the question.

"But that means he'll be on his way to find Snow," Regina realised.

"It was going to happen eventually," Emma reminded her. "Perhaps we should start planning our wedding, just in case?"

Regina smiled at Emma's hopeful tone.

"Okay," She agreed and Emma grinned before she kissed her passionately, ignoring Mal who rolled her eyes at the couple.

The party continued for a little longer, but Emma had to call it a night earlier than the others as she could barely keep her eyes open. Regina had asked her if she wanted company, but the blonde assured her that she should enjoy the rest of the evening with Mal and surprisingly, Hook.

oOoOo

The next day, Emma managed to persuade Regina to hang out with Ally for the morning, letting her spend some time with their newly turned three-year-old on her own. Regina was completely baffled by it, there was no denying, but she allowed Emma to shoo her out of the room.

Regina had barely left the room when Pedro announced that the doctor had arrived. Sheepishly, Emma greeted the doctor as he stepped into their room. "Hi."

"Hello, your Highness," the doctor replied. "Is everything alright?"

Emma bit her lip and nervously ran her fingers through her hair. "It's not that things aren't alright," she said slowly, "they're just not completely alright?"

The doctor raised his eyebrow. "That's not very useful, your Highness," he commented with a chuckle. "Could you be a little more precise?"

"I'm a little rattier than usual and tired all the time," she revealed. "And I keep getting a little queasy." She sighed. "I mean, I know what it is, I'm not stupid. I just wanted you to confirm it."

The doctor nodded and smiled kindly. "I'll have to take some blood then and I'll come back within forty-eight hours with a positive," he tilted his head, "or negative result."

"Thank you," Emma muttered as she rolled her sleeve up to allow the doctor to take some blood.

Like with Regina, the doctor didn't need the full forty-eight hours and he was back barely after twenty-four. Fortunately for the blonde, Regina was preoccupied with her father when the doctor arrived. The look on his face said it all and Emma nodded, accepting her fate after the doctor revealed what she already knew.

After the doctor left, Emma went to meet Regina and her father in Regina's study where she had been hidden the last couple of days. As promised, Regina had finally started wedding plans and had roped her father into it as he was very level-headed about all of these things. He had also been there to help plan Regina's first wedding along with his own. Surprisingly, Cora had allowed some of his suggestions to happen.

Emma stepped into the room and sat beside her wife to be and pecked her on the cheek.

"Hello," she murmured as she looked over what Regina was reading. "Successful morning?"

"Of course," Regina replied. "But I'm glad you've finally decided to join us."

Emma smiled sheepishly and allowed her fiancée and father in law to believe that she had just slept in. Well she had, but she'd been awake longer than they knew.

"Yep, I'm here," she smiled, "so catch me up on what's been happening."

Regina grinned as she started pointing out all the different things she and Henry had discussed. So far, they'd only really discussed the venue, quickly deciding that it would take place in the castle and had started talking about the guest list.

"I thought we should invite some of the other royals," Henry suggested quietly. "I liked Maleficent's idea of pretending it is a vow renewal. Otherwise, the room will look quite empty."

"That doesn't bother me," Regina said quickly. "I don't really care what happens on the day as long as Emma and I become wives." She reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "Along with Ally, we'll be a proper family."

Unconsciously, Emma rested her spare hand over her tummy at Regina's statement. "Yeah, family."

oOoOo

With the wedding plans well on the way, Emma needed to ensure everything was in place should the portal open either during or after the ceremony. It was coming, she could feel it in her bones. That was why she was found reading through Cora's potion books once more while Regina was in a meeting. She wasn't doing anything dangerous, she just didn't particularly want Regina to catch her.

There was a particular type of potion she was looking for. A bit like the remembrance potion, that Hook had given her in New York with Henry, but instead, it would help someone retain their memory, like a blocker should Regina cast a memory charm. She wanted it on hand for Mal, Ruby and Henry just in case something did happen to make them all lose their memory. If they drank the potion beforehand, they wouldn't forget about her.

It took looking through four books, but she eventually found the potion she was looking for. The potion required was difficult, but not impossible. She needed to start it now if she stood a chance of brewing it in time. As she closed the book, she felt a pair of eyes on her. Slowly turning, she saw Hook standing behind her.

"Hello there, Swan," he greeted with a smile. "I heard the wedding plans have started?" Emma could hear the hope in his voice.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's set in a month's time, I believe."

"Then you think it'll be time to go home?" He asked and Emma nodded while biting her lip.

"I think so, but there's something that needs to happen beforehand and I need your help," she revealed.

"My help?"

Emma nodded. She glanced around and realised there was a guard posted just outside the library and she didn't want to be overheard yet. She took hold of Killian's arm and transported them to the crypt.

"I need to make a potion," she revealed. "If Regina does cast a memory curse across the Realm after we're gone, which is the only thing I can think of that will be why they don't remember us when we go back, I need Ruby and Maleficent to remember."

"But Maleficent isn't there in the future?" Hook said confused.

Again, Emma bit her lip. "Well technically she was but I may have kinda killed her?" The pirate's eyes widened. "I didn't have a choice but if I can, I'll try and get her back. She's not dead as such, she's just a pile of ash. I'm sure there will be a counter curse but for now, I need to make this potion."

"And you need my help because?"

Emma hesitated. She knew Regina should be the first to know, but she didn't want to tell her until after the wedding because she knew for a fact that Regina would postpone it if she knew. With a deep breath, Emma revealed her news and waited for Hook to say something.

"Well things should be interesting when we're back," he said eventually, "but I will happily help however I can."

With a smile, Emma hugged him softly before centring herself. "Then let's get going."

 _A/N: Do I hear wedding bells in the next chapter? (Yes, I do!)_


	43. Chapter 43

The potion making wasn't smooth sailing to say the least. Emma had asked Hook to help due to some of the potent ingredients that she didn't want to get too close to for the effects they could have. Though she was starting to regret her decision to ask Hook to help as she spent most of the time shouting "no" or "not that much" several times over as the pirate was rather heavy handed.

There were at least three failed attempts. One ended in smoke, another in fire (Emma quickly had to put it out), and a minor explosion. The glass of the test tubes they were using actually shattered and sent fragments everywhere. Fortunately, Emma was able to shoot up a protection shield before she or Hook could get injured.

Once they finished the successful batch, she slipped two small bottles into Hook's pocket ready for when they were needed as he would be in charge of slipping them to Ruby and Maleficent when the time came. A third bottle was slipped into Emma's pocket.

oOoOo

The next month was all about wedding plans until everything was planned to perfection. The guest list was small, simply Regina's staff and advisors, and the event itself was even smaller. There would be a meal afterward with entertainment from Yzma once more as Regina was rather fond of her.

Ruby had also been invited and, to Emma's surprise, accepted. Naturally, the Queen wasn't too pleased when Emma announced, rather causally over dinner, that she wanted to invite Snow's best friend to the wedding. However, when Emma explained that there was more to the wolf, not that she revealed about her being a wolf, Regina relaxed about it…almost.

The other and obvious guest was Maleficent. Surprisingly, she offered to sit on Emma's side of the room as she was severely lacking her own guests. Hook had been asked, and very quickly accepted, to walk Emma down the aisle and he was honoured.

Along with the obvious stress leading up to the wedding, Emma had other things to be worrying about with her bouts of sickness and trying to not let Regina notice. However, as the Queen was so wrapped up in the wedding plans, and trying not to think of the possibility that Emma may be sent back to the future, understandably, her mind was a little preoccupied.

A couple of nights before the wedding, Emma decided to seek out Henry. Usually it was the other way around, but she needed him. She and Regina had decided to write their own vows, but she was struggling to find the words. If there was anyone who could help unscramble her mind, it was Henry.

He wasn't difficult to find when she reached his quarters. She headed straight to his favourite library where she'd found comfort when she'd worked for him. Unsurprisingly, he was sat in his armchair by the fire, enjoying what seemed like a small glass of Regina's homemade cider and a good book.

"I thought I'd find you here," Emma murmured, using Henry typical opening line against him.

Looking up, Henry smiled. "Emma!" He greeted. "Well isn't this a lovely surprise. Do sit down." He quickly shut his book and indicated to the empty armchair beside him. One Emma was seated, he looked at her expectedly. "Let me guess, struggling writing your vows?"

Emma half smiled. "How do you always know what's going on in my mind?" She asked incredulously.

Henry chuckled. "I can read you like a book, my dear," he said simply. "So tell me, what have you got so far?"

Emma glanced down at the piece of parchment in her hand. "I have a few things, but they don't scream Regina," she revealed before clearing her throat. "They're all the typical things of "I promise to respect you and love you forever" or "you're the most beautiful person in the world"." She sighed. "There are things I want to put but they haven't happened for her yet and won't make sense, but they mean something to me. This is difficult," she sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Henry nodded his sympathy. "I see, are you able to adapt them for times you've spent together in the last four years?"

"I'm not sure." Emma bit her lip as she thought. She wanted to talk about how their arguments were probably just sexual tension that she wanted to cut, especially when she chopped down Regina's apple tree. She wanted to mention that she loved winding her up because she enjoyed the reaction that she got so she ended up doing it more. There were many other things she wanted to say but they just didn't fit with their relationship now.

"Just say some of things that come to mind when you think about her?" Henry suggested. "Get the juices flowing, so to speak."

Emma looked at him doubtfully, but she decided to humour him.

"She's the most perfect woman in the world," she began, "and thank my lucky stars every day that she's mine, I'm hers, that we're together. Despite all this time together, she still gives me butterflies and makes me nervous." Emma glanced at the floor and shook her head in disbelief. "Her laugh makes my heart sore, especially when I'm the reason she's laughing. It's such a beautiful sound.

"I love everything about her, no matter what she's done in the past. I love that she's passionate and determined, focussed. She sets her eyes on a prize and won't stop until it's done, but I also love that she listens to you and takes your opinions into consideration, even when she doesn't agree.

"My favourite Regina has to be mama bear Regina," Emma continued, completely unaware that Henry had been writing down everything she'd been saying in the last five minutes. "Seeing Regina with Alexandra takes my breath away. She's so natural with her and she seems her best self. She's adorable. She gave me Alexandra, our perfect daughter, who is becoming more and more like Regina every day and I love that. She looks like me, but she acts like Regina. She's the perfect combination of us and I can't get over it. My life without Regina was dull and as soon as she entered it, it was as if someone had simply turned the light on and asked me why I'd been sitting in the dark before. I just didn't know that I had been until she flicked the switch…" She trailed off when she finally realised that Henry was writing.

Henry paused when he realised that he'd be caught. "Everything you said was perfect," he said. "I didn't want to miss it while you were speaking." He passed the parchment over to Emma who read through everything.

"This is perfect," she admitted. Henry had tweaked some of things she'd said to make it more poetic and romantic, but in essence, it was still all Emma. "I love it, thank you!" She reached forward and pulled him into a strong hug. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you if I end up going back."

As she pulled back, she realised that she'd confirmed something that Henry had never asked and Emma had avoided saying.

"Henry…I–"

But Henry simply put his hand up to stop her from talking. "I realised a long time ago that I would not be in the future," he said quietly. "When you revealed you were from the future and the way you saw people you remembered from there, you had a certain look to you. You didn't look at me like that, nor Esmeralda or Lina. Yet when you looked at Regina or Maleficent, or even the wolf girl, yes, I know about her," he added when Emma looked surprised, "there was recollection. I've made my peace that I will not be there and whenever you go back, that will most likely be the last time I see you."

Emma couldn't help the tears that started. "I have something for you," she muttered. She flicked her wrist and a small clear vial landed in her hand. "It's a remembrance potion," she revealed when she saw Henry's wariness at the bottle. "I have a feeling that Regina is going to curse me out of everyone's memory. My gut feelings are rarely wrong. I mean, how else will she end up with Robin?"

"You don't know that, Emma," Henry stated.

The blonde smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I do. Something will happen and I want you to remember me," she held the vial out for him to take but he hesitated which made Emma lower it a fraction. "I mean, you don't have to remember me if you don't want to…this potion will just let you retain your memory should Regina try and take it. If she doesn't, the potion will be void…" she trailed off as she thought about it. "It's just, you're the father I've always wanted," she admitted, her eyes tearing up once more. "I always imagined having a dad who would be there to hold me when I was sad and to tell me when I was wrong. Someone to point me in the right direction but support me, even when I did something wrong. That's been you since I got here. Part of the reason I don't want to leave is because I'll never see you again. I love you, Henry."

As she admitted that, Emma burst into tears and Henry quickly rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a strong fatherly embrace. He pulled back a fraction and kissed her temple.

"I love you too, Emma," he replied and kissed her temple again. "You're like a daughter to me too. You always have been. Even before we found out you and Regina were True Loves. You've not only made my daughter happy, but you've made me happy and filled a space in my heart that I didn't know was empty." He then took the potion out of Emma's hand and uncorked the stopper before drinking it down. "Of course I want to remember you. I'll do my best to stop Regina from trying to cast a forgetful curse, but you know what she's like when she's made her mind up about something."

Emma couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. "You're right there."

Henry smiled. "I want the best life for her and that's with you," he admitted. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure that she gets back to you, even if my life depends on it."

At that, Emma didn't know what to say. She could be like "well yep, that's how it's going to happen," but she didn't want to. Instead, she decided to change the subject.

"I wrote something for you and something else for Regina," she said as she conjured up two small envelopes. "It's in case I do go back. I want you to give this to her after it happens and I don't want you to read yours until after it happens."

"I will ensure she gets this," Henry promised. Emma raised her eyebrow and Henry chuckled. "And I promise not to open your letter early too."

Emma nodded. "Thank you and thank you for helping me with my vows. I thought I was going to be up all night getting them right."

"I'll be here to help you as long as I can, my dear," Henry said and Emma wished it would be for ever.

oOoOo

Before Emma realised it, she was waking up on the day of her wedding. It was nothing like she expected it to be. When she was little, she'd imagined her wedding day surrounded by her long-lost family that she'd reunited with somehow. Her mother would help her get dressed and her father would walk her down the aisle. As she got older, she lost hope in both the idea that her family would be there and even just the idea of getting married. She thought perhaps with Neal but that definitely wasn't to be and then after that, she hadn't met anyone else who made her heart flutter in excitement until Regina.

When the curse had broken in Storybrooke and she was reunited with her family, she thought her dream could become reality should she meet the right person. Naturally at that time, she never imagined marrying Regina.

However, none of that was meant to be. She didn't have her parents with her to help her get ready or walk her down the aisle, but yet that didn't matter to her, not today. Today she was surrounded by her friends and she was about to marry the woman she was head over heels in love with and she couldn't be happier.

She stood in front of the mirror, exhaling slowly. Esmeralda had been in to help her get dressed as she and the others in Henry's staff knew that she and the Queen weren't already married. Emma's dress was simple. It tucked under her breast before floating over her stomach as she requested. It had a halter neck top and flowed all the way down to her feet even with the high heels she wore that she'd taken the last week practising to walk in. The bodice was encrusted in tiny diamonds that glittered when the dress caught the light. Regina had also gifted her a small tiara to wear on the day. She truly looked like the most perfect princess.

"Swan, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" He gasped as he walked into the room, dressed perfectly in his old naval suit. Regina refused to allow him to wear anything other on such an official business. Emma didn't mind but she had to admit he did look rather smart.

"Don't you look handsome too!" Emma greeted back, accepting the hug he offered gently without him wrinkling her dress. "How's Regina?"

As tradition stated, Emma and Regina had slept separately the night before, though they didn't get much sleep after sleeping together too long. Halfway through the night, Emma had been tempted to sneak into their bedroom, as she was the one to sleep in a guest bedroom down the hall, but she didn't want to get caught sneaking into the room by the guards, so she stayed put.

"I haven't seen her," Hook revealed just a gong was sounded, announcing that the wedding was about to begin. He offered his arm. "Are you ready?"

Emma took his arm and nodded. "You remember the plan?"

Hook nodded. As planned, he would slip Mal and Ruby the potion when he sat down after leading Emma down the aisle. Emma would be going first as she wanted to watch Regina walk towards her.

The two walked towards their starting point but Hook pulled on Emma's arm to stop her. "Have you told Regina yet?" He asked. Emma didn't need him to clarify; she knew what he was asking.

She shook her head. "She'd put a stop to the whole thing, I can't," she replied. "I want to marry her, regardless of the consequences. If we go back, I'll tell her then, if not, I'll tell her tonight. Okay?"

Hook looked like he was going to argue but Emma shook her head and started walking towards where they were meant to be so that proceedings didn't run late. The pirate sighed but allowed Emma to drop the topic.

Soon enough, they were at their starting place and the music began to swell, indicating it was time. With a sturdy grip, Hook led Emma up the aisle until she stood before the vicar of choice. Her breathing shook with nerves, but she smiled as Hook kissed her hand before taking his seat. Emma saw his arm shift as he gave Mal and Ruby the potions. Both looked confused, but Hook looked away without answering their questions.

After a few moments of silence, the band started to play once more and Emma saw Ally walking carefully up the aisle, the concentration clear on her face, and Emma's heart soared at how cute she looked. She was wearing a golden dress with a white sash around the middle. She looked adorable.

When she was halfway up the aisle, the music changed, and Emma saw her fiancée start to walk up the aisle with Henry holding her arm and Emma felt the tears of happiness spark at her eyes.

Regina looked absolutely stunning in her white gown. The sweetheart neckline left nothing to the imagination and Emma struggled to keep her eyes off it. When Ally reach the front, Emma gave her a quick hug and kept her still until Regina reached the front. Henry placed his daughter's hands in Emma's and led Ally to the side and pulled her up on his knee.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of our Queen and our Princess," the vicar announced.

Emma and Regina grinned at each other nervously and excitedly as the vicar continued his prepared speech. Before long, it was time for the vows and they had decided, after a long deliberation, that Emma would go first.

Nervously, Emma cleared her throat and conjured her notes into her hands. She glanced at Regina who smiled encouragingly at her before she started to speak.

"Regina, you are the most perfect woman in the world and I thank my lucky stars that we get to call each other ours," she began. "Even after all this time together, you still give me butterflies. You have the most breath-taking smile, it makes my heart melt. When you laugh, it's like music to my ears and when I'm the reason you're laughing, it makes my heart sore.

"I love everything about you, your humour, your intelligence, your passion, your determination, the list is endless, but my favourite thing about you, is the way you are with Alexandra. You're so natural with her and you're your best self with her.

"My life without you was dull and as soon as you entered it, it was as if someone had simply lit a candle and asked me why I'd been sitting in the dark before. I simply didn't know that I had been until you lit the flame.

"I love you, Regina, with all of my heart and I promise to love you forever."

When she finally looked up, she saw Regina tearing up in happiness before she tried to centre herself as it was time for her vows.

"Emma, you are by far my favourite person in the world," Regina started after clearing her throat. "You make me smile, you make me laugh. You make me feel safe and loved. You make me the happiest woman in the world.

"I've always dreamed of finding my True Love and thought I had found him years ago, but you went and blew me away. You captivated me and intrigued me from the moment we met and you continue to do so every day.

"I long for the life we will share together and I'm excited to live every moment with you, no matter what happens.

"I love you more than anything and I always will. Emma, you are my life."

It took all of Emma's self-control to not break protocol and kiss Regina with all she had. Instead, she simply squeezed her hand which Regina returned.

With the vows done, it was time to say I do and exchange rings. They had chosen simple matching white gold bands that wouldn't interfere with their engagement rings.

After that was done, there was only one thing left for the vicar to announce. "I now pronounce you married, you may kiss each other!"

Emma had been caught up in the wedding that she forgot the possibility of the portal opening. It was only when the two leant forward that she remembered. Their lips barely brushed together when a strong breeze shot through the room and a circle of fire erupted behind Emma.

Unable to help herself, Emma pulled back from her new wife to take in the portal. Through it, she saw the familiar trees of the woods she'd search many a time.

"Swan!" Killian shouted as he rushed forward to the portal. "It's time! We have to go."

Emma glanced between the portal and the Queen, her eyes already filled with tears as she thought about what she had to do next.

"Emma, no!" Regina cried as she clung onto Emma's hand. "Pleases don't leave me. You can't leave."

"I have to," Emma sobbed before glancing at her daughter who looked terrified. In that moment, she decided that Alexandra would be better with Regina because she needed her more than Emma. "Take care of Ally." She leant forward and kissed Regina with everything she had, knowing it was the last time she would kiss this Regina. "I love you."

Emma couldn't say goodbye to her daughter. She needed to keep her distance from her, fearing that the portal would take her too, but as Killian stepped through the portal, after having his own quiet goodbye with Lina, Ally rushed forward, desperate not to let her favourite one-handed friend disappear.

"Killi! Nooooo!" She cried as he vanished and before anyone could stop her, Alexandra had run through the portal after the pirate.

"Alexandra!" Regina yelled, utterly distraught, as she realised her daughter was lost to her. Her tears blocked her view as she pulled Emma to her, one last time, kissing her with everything she had and more. "Take care of our daughter, Emma, please. I love you more than anything."

"I love you too, my wife," Emma confirmed as the ring on her finger showed it was official. "I'll see you soon."

Regain sobbed as she kissed Emma one more time. Glancing back, the portal was starting to shut and Emma hated herself as she pulled back the from the Queen. She couldn't look over her shoulder as she rushed to the portal and felt the fire take her and everything went black.


	44. Chapter 44

Emma hadn't yet opened her eyes, but she could already recognise where they were by the smell of the woods and the sounds of the birds in the trees. Slowly, she opened her eyes and confirmed her thoughts.

"We're back!" She gasped as if she didn't think it was possible.

Looking down, she saw that she was wearing the same outfit she'd worn when she'd fallen through the portal, her jeans and infamous red leather jacket. She glanced down at her hand and saw that she was still wearing her wedding rings which was odd. She then pressed her hand against her stomach and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mama!" Ally cried as she saw her mother, pulling Emma out of her thoughts.

Looking up, Emma saw the child was in Hook's arms. It seemed in the few moment's delay, the pirate had picked her up and tried to comfort her as the young child was crying. Hook was back to wearing his long black trench coat and leather trousers, but Ally was still wearing her golden dress. With a quick wave of her hand, Emma changed her dress to a simple purple cotton dress and made a jacket appear around her shoulders so that the toddler wouldn't be cold.

"Ally!" Emma rushed over to her daughter and pulled her out of Hook's arms. "I've got you, Princess," Emma cooed as she cuddled her close, rocking her side to side to try and comfort her.

It took a little while, but Emma was able calm Alexandra down and she stopped crying. Suddenly, she looked around.

"Mama, where's Mommy?" She asked.

Emma glanced at Hook to help her explain, he seemed to have a better way of explaining things to the tot than Emma did.

"Mommy is here," he said slowly, "but she's different."

Ally frowned in confusion. Usually Emma would have found it endearing but currently she couldn't let herself be side-tracked. Just as she opened her mouth to try and describe what Hook meant, they heard footsteps approaching.

Immediately, Emma pulled Ally closer to her, holding the back of her head protectively. However, she needn't have worried when she recognised who was approaching.

"Ruby!" Emma cried.

"Emma!" Ruby called back as she rushed over. Being careful of Ally, she pulled Emma into a strong hug. "I'm so happy I found you. I've been looking for hours!"

Now it was Emma's turn to frown. "How long have we been gone?" She asked.

"About five hours?" Ruby replied, "but I know it's been longer for you." She then turned to Ally who was looking at Ruby carefully. Despite the frequent visits Emma and Ruby had had, Alexandra had never met the wolf. Regina hadn't allowed it. "Hello, Ally."

"You remember!" Emma gasped.

Ruby nodded. "As much as I'd love to catch up here, it is pretty cold. Shall we go to mine for a drink or?"

Emma glance back at Hook who nodded.

"Everyone, grab on," she instructed.

Now Ally was a little older, Emma and Regina had discussed that it wouldn't hurt her if they transported with her. Hook and Ruby both took hold of Emma's arm and shoulder respectively as Emma shuffled Ally in her arms so she could flick her wrist. The familiar cloud of white surrounded them.

Moments later, the smoke cleared and revealed Ruby's sitting room. After the first curse had broken, Ruby had moved into her own suit in Granny's bed and breakfast so that she had her own space, but she was still close enough if her Granny needed her.

"Is Mommy here?" Ally asked when the smoke cleared.

Emma smiled sadly at her daughter. "No, honey," she replied. "I'm not sure where she is at the moment." She shifted Ally in her arms so she could look at her. "Could you do Mama a favour and sit with Killi for a bit while I talk to Ruby?" Emma glanced up at the pirate, silently asking him if it was okay. He nodded.

"Okay," Ally muttered as she walked over to the pirate.

"I'll get everyone a drink, shall I?" Ruby suggested, ever the hostess. "Rum, Killian?"

"Water will do," Killian said, Regina's threat about him drinking alcohol around Alexandra still at the forefront of his mind.

Ruby raised her eyebrow at it but didn't say anything before turning to Emma. "Whiskey?"

"No!" Emma said, a little too loudly. "I mean, no thanks, I'll have water too."

Killian looked at Emma with his eyebrow raised, his facial expression saying, _really?_ She shook her head at him before turning back to Ruby who'd missed the silent conversation between the two as she got their drinks. Along with their waters, Ruby got herself a lemonade and gave Ally some apple juice, something the toddler had picked up from her brunette mother.

"I'm afraid I don't have any toys for three-year-olds here," Ruby said apologetically.

"Don't worry, love," Hook said. "I've got it covered." He then picked Ally up and took her to the other side of the room, away from the women.

Emma watched them for a few moments with a soft smile before glancing at Ruby.

"So you remember?" She asked, trying to continue the conversation they'd paused in the woods

Ruby nodded. "Yeah," she took a sip of her drink before she started her story. "God, Regina was a mess after the portal closed, she collapsed in a fit of tears on the floor. Maleficent and her father ran forward and led her out of the room. I thought I'd better escape before she realised that I was there, so I did and went straight back to Snow and David. Obviously, I didn't tell them where I'd been." She took a breath. "It was that evening when I was getting changed that I felt the potion bottle in my pocket, I'd totally forgotten about it on all the chaos and saw your note. I trusted you and believed that Regina could cast the forgetful spell, so I drank it immediately and it was good that I did."

The wolf then paused her story as she took another sip of her drink.

"Why?" Emma asked, encouraging Red to continue once more.

"It was about a month after you'd left," Ruby said quietly, as if she didn't want to tell the blonde exactly what happened. "There was a burgundy cloud that spread across the Kingdom and it started to rain and then not two minutes later, the rain cleared. There was a magical element to it, I knew that for sure, but I didn't know what. When I met up with Snow later, I asked her if she witnessed it and she had no idea what I was talking about. She asked me if I'd dreamt it. She then went on to discussing potential baby names and she never mentioned Emma despite being adamant that would be her first daughter's name. That's when I realised your prediction of the memory charm had come true."

Ruby broke off again to take another sip of her lemonade. She'd not thought about any of this for thirty years as she'd put it to the back of her mind when the first curse had broken. It was clear that Emma didn't have a clue who she was then but when she was told she'd gone to the past, she realised it was all about to unravel.

"That's when I went to visit Maleficent," she revealed and Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I needed answers and she was the only one who knew them. She told me everything. Regina was in the darkest place she'd ever been in and decided it was better to live without memory of you and Ally until she saw you again and you broke the curse than to struggle. I think Rumple got to her too with wanting his curse cast. She couldn't cast it if she was grieving over the one she loved most. If she forgot about you, she would be able to use her father's heart to cast it. Which you know she did."

Emma nodded sadly. "I wish she didn't need to," she muttered. "I'll miss him terribly."

Ruby reached out and squeezed Emma's knee supportively. "I'm sure he'll have missed you too." Another sip of her drink and Ruby continued her story. "Mal confirmed everything, including that she'd also taken the potion she'd been given. She and Henry had tried to stop Regina, but you know she can't be stopped. Then after that, with her memory wiped of you and Ally, she set after Snow again and, well, you know what happened. She interrupted their wedding and cast the curse. You know everything from then on."

"So she's still with Robin?" Emma asked, feeling her heart break just at the question.

The wolf nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. She doesn't remember anything. After she and Zelena closed the portal, I tried to ask her if she remembered anything, but–"

"Wait what?" Emma asked, interrupting what Ruby was saying. "Regina and Zelena working together?"

"Yeah, we were all surprised, but Regina needed more magic to help her and obviously, Rumple refused," Ruby revealed. "With you gone, she had no one else to turn to. It was a sight to see. They went from fighting against each other to with each other. It's a truce for now, but we'll see how long it lasts. Though you have to admit, Zelena is pretty impressive."

Emma raised her eyebrow at Ruby's slight blush at mentioning the Wicked Witch. _That's something to keep an eye on_ , she thought to herself.

"So what the fuck am I meant to do?" Emma sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair before looking at her left hand. "It looks like we're still married too, I mean, my rings came through."

"Hers did too," Ruby said quietly. "She wears your engagement ring on her necklace. I'm not sure why, I've never asked, but she does wear it. She must remember deep down."

"Well it's going to take me a hell of a long time to figure this out, but that's a luxury I don't have," Emma replied cryptically.

"Why?" Ruby asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Surely you have plenty of time to sort it out? Henry will be able to come up with an operation for you. I'll help where I can. We'll rally a team together."

Emma half smiled. "I need to check some things before I reveal anything." She then stood up. "For now, I need to find my son. Do you know where he is?"

"I think he's at Snow's," Ruby said. "I overheard him saying he wanted to be there in case you turned up."

At that, Emma beamed. She felt like she was second place to Regina with Henry after he got his memories back after New York. She supposed it was because it had just been the two of them for a year and it was now time for him to spend some time with his other mom.

"Great, I need to get going," Emma announced.

Ruby nodded. "I should probably get back to the diner and tell Granny you're alright."

"Ally?" Emma called.

Alexandra looked up from where she and Hook were sitting. "Mama?"

"Do you want to meet some special people?" Emma asked as she walked over to her. Immediately, Ally held out her arms ready for Emma to pick her up.

"Like Mommy?"

Again, Emma had to shake her head. "Not yet, honey. Do you remember me telling you about someone called Henry?"

"Henwy? My bwother?" She asked. Despite the higher level of intelligence, she struggled with her r's.

Emma nodded. "Yes, honey. Would you like to meet him?"

Ally glanced at Hook, silently asking his opinion. The pirate nodded in encouragement before Ally turned back to her mother. "Okay."

Emma nodded before looking at Hook. "Are you coming?" She asked, secretly hoping he would say yes.

"I'm not leaving your sight until you're okay," he replied and Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, because I don't want to do this alone."

As before, Hook held onto Emma's arm while she shuffled Alexandra.

"See you soon," she said to Ruby who simply waved.

With a flick of her wrist, Emma, Hook and Ally were transported across the town of Storybrooke for a second time that night.

When the smoke cleared, Emma was face to face with her old home. She saw her beloved bug sitting outside. Her fingers flexed as she was tempted to settle Ally in the backseat and drive away from her issues, but she couldn't.

Instead, she took a deep breath and headed into the building. When she reached the front door, she glanced at Hook for some moral support.

"You've got this, Swan," he whispered.

Nodding, Emma slowly pulled down the handle and stepped through the door. She'd barely stepped in when she heard her mother's shrill voice.

"Emma!" Snow cried as she rushed over. "Where the hell have you been?" Snow then noticed Alexandra hiding in Emma's hair. "And who's this cutie?"

"My daughter," Emma revealed quietly.

Snow then looked at Hook and back to Emma, her silent question asked as loud as possible.

"No, she isn't mine," Hook said, speaking for Emma, "she's my first mate, aren't you, Al Pal?"

Ally nodded but didn't leave her hiding space in Emma's neck.

"Before anything else is said, where's Henry?" Emma asked. She glanced around the loft as if he would miraculously appear.

Snow bit her lip nervously. "When it looked like you weren't coming back, Regina convinced him to stay with her tonight," she revealed.

Emma couldn't help the disappointed sigh. She wanted to see her son before she saw Regina and now it seemed she'd have to kill two birds with one stone and see them together. She was dreading it.

"Let me get your father and we'll have a drink," Snow said. "Your brother is asleep at the moment so let's try not to be too loud."

Emma couldn't help but raise her eyebrow. Her mother was asking them to be quiet? She'd already squealed when Emma stepped through the door.

However, she didn't argue. She allowed Snow to shepherd them to the breakfast bar while she called David and prepared the drinks.

Barely five minutes later, Charming stepped through the front door.

"Emma!" He cried. "What happened?" Like his wife, he then saw the toddler in Emma's arms. "Who's the little one?"

It was now or never, Emma thought. "This is Alexandra Charlotte, she's my daughter," she revealed before looking at Ally. "Ally, these are you grandparents."

Ally's brow furrowed in confusion. "I already have Grandpa?" She questioned.

"Well now you also have another Grandpa and a Grandma," Emma replied as she pointed to her parents respectively. "Say hi."

"Hello," Ally said quietly.

Snow then passed out four cups of tea and some juice for Alexandra.

"So how long have you been gone?" Snow asked.

"Around four years," Emma answered.

"Where did you go?" Charming added.

Emma had a small sip of her tea and took a deep breath. "I was in the Enchanted Forest during Regina's reign as the Evil Queen. Before you two got married, around the time you met, actually."

"Did we meet?" Snow asked.

Emma nodded. "Yes, but you don't remember."

Snow tilted her head as she tried to remember if she'd seen Emma in the Enchanted Forest, but she came up empty. Shaking her head, she said, "no, I don't."

"So how did you come up with my name?" Emma asked.

"Ruby suggested it," Charming said, surprising Emma. "She said it sounded like an important name and that she'd always wanted to name her daughter Emma but thought she'd never have the chance. She wanted Snow to honour their friendship and name you Emma. I thought it was a beautiful name so agreed."

"Oh." There was nothing else Emma could really say on the matter.

She was about to change the subject when Snow did it for her. She glanced nervously between Emma, Hook and Ally and Emma tensed as she predicted the next thing to come out of Snow's mouth.

"Emma, if Hook isn't Alexandra's father, who is?"

Emma shut her eyes and inhaled, counting to four, and exhaled counting for another four. "Regina."

"WHAT?!" Snow cried and despite her request for quiet, she broke it and there was a cry from across the room as her brother started to cry. "I'll get him."

She slipped off her stool as Charming looked at Emma. "That's not a very funny joke, Em. Who's her father really?"

"David, look at her," Emma said instead of answering the question. She shifted Ally in her lap so her father could see her. "She looks a lot like me, I know, but there are some aspects of Regina. Her mouth for one and literally everything she does. In fact, Regina carried her." Before Charming could say anything, Emma slipped off her chair. "Look, I need find Henry before it gets too late. I'll be back later."

She didn't wait for a reply, and she barely glanced in Hook's direction as she already knew he'd follow, before she walked to the door and headed out into the night.

Emma headed straight for her bug, conjuring up her keys as she went. Once it was unlocked, she passed Ally to Hook before conjuring a child seat to settle her in. After she was fastened, Emma and Hook got into the car and Emma set off. She thought Ally might be a little scared, but she was proud when she took everything in her stride. The tot had been in Regina's carriage on the odd occasion, perhaps she thought it was the same.

The first place Emma headed was Regina's mansion but as they drove past 108 Mifflin Street, she saw all the lights were out and Regina's car wasn't in the drive. That only meant one other place she could be. Putting the car back into drive, Emma pulled away from the empty house and headed to Granny's.

She pulled up and took a deep breath before cutting the engine. She then turned to look at her companions.

"I'm going to head in and get Henry," she said before turning to Ally. "Are you okay to stay here with Killi?"

Ally looked a little worried but eventually nodded.

"I'll be right back," Emma promised before blowing a kiss to Ally and getting out the car.

She took a deep breath and centred herself before heading into the diner.

The door dinged as she stepped over the threshold and she felt all eyes turn on her. She scanned the room, looking for her favourite chocolate brown eyes, but she couldn't find them. Instead, she started looking for the eyes that mirrored hers and she found them at the exact same time they found her.

"MA!" Henry called.

"Henry!" Emma cried as she saw her son run at her. She opened her arms wide and pulled him close. She held him tightly as she breathed in his scent. "I've missed you, Kid!" She pulled back and kissed his forehead.

Henry looked confused. "You've only been gone for a few hours."

"Try four years, Kid," Emma revealed.

Henry gasped, "What?"

"I have so much to tell you," Emma said to him. "Where's your Mom? Reckon she'll let me take you tonight?"

"Regina is in the bathroom," said another voice and Emma looked up to see Robin standing before her and she felt an invisible knot in her stomach squeeze and she couldn't stop herself. She ran past Robin and Henry and straight into the bathroom to hurl.

Once she was finished, she flushed and headed to the sink to clean up.

"That wasn't the sight I imagined seeing when you eventually came back," said a voice. A voice that she would recognise anywhere.

"Regina," she breathed and she felt the tears spring to her eyes as she saw the distaste and distrust in Regina's eyes that she hadn't seen in the last few years and it broke her heart. She stuttered in her movement, automatically going in for a hug but forcing herself to stay still at the same time.

"What happened?" Regina asked, ignoring the way Emma said her name and strange movement.

"I fell into the portal, went to the past," Emma replied, pretending to be causal, bringing her hands to her back so that Regina wouldn't see her rings and so that she wouldn't reach out and hold her. Subtly, Emma glanced at Regina's necklace and saw that Ruby was right; she was wearing her engagement ring.

Feeling Emma's eyes on it, Regina reached up and took hold of it. "A gift from my father," she commented, "you've seen it before."

"You bet I have," Emma murmured, too quietly for Regina to hear.

Just as the mayor was about to respond, there was a noise from the main room of the diner that was accompanied by a very familiar cry.

"Shit," Emma muttered before she turned away from her wife in another life and headed out of the room to see Hook holding a very distressed Ally.

"I'm so sorry," Hook called when he saw Emma approaching. "She just kept shouting for her mother and I couldn't calm her down."

All the inhabitants of the diner looked at Emma expectantly and she knew why. They all thought Ally wanted her, but she and Hook knew different. She had no idea what would happen when Regina entered the diner and she didn't have to wait long.

"It seems you've been busy in the past, Miss Swan," Emma heard Regina mutter, the smirk evident in her voice and Emma's heart panged in sadness.

Alexandra looked up at the familiar voice and despite Regina looking different, she knew exactly who that woman was.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion yet there was nothing Emma could do to stop the inevitable. Ally wriggled and slipped out of Hook's arms, even with two hands it would have been impossible to stop her, and she launched herself across the room as quickly as her little legs could muster. She reached Regina and threw her arms around her legs and loudly cried, "Mommy!"


	45. Chapter 45

Emma's eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Ally was clinging to Regina with dear life, sobbing into her leg, while Regina stared down in amazement. If Emma had glanced around the room, she would have seen the other patrons looking just as curiously at the scene but there were two people who had completely different expressions to the rest: Henry looked bemused as he took in the scene before him, so many questions on the tip of his tongue, but Robin looked livid. His eyes were narrowed in fury and his hands were curled into a tense fist at his sides.

Before Emma could say anything, what she wasn't sure, there was a slight ripple in the air. She didn't need to question what it was; she'd been around Regina long enough now to recognise her magic.

Looking around the room, it seemed that everyone had frozen. There were people in mid-word, their mouths open ready to talk. Others were mid-bite, their hands raised close to their face with a burger inches away from their lips. Emma quickly realised that only she and Regina were free.

"Miss Swan," Regina said, her voice low and full of distrust. "Why is yours and the pirate's offspring clutching me?"

"Alexandra isn't Killian's," Emma said, feeling like that information was more important to share than answering Regina's question. She also wanted Regina to know their daughter's name, hoping it would trigger her memory. It didn't. She could feel her heart in her throat, pumping loudly as her nerves grew. "Look, I'll tell you everything you want to know, but not here, not in frozen time." She swallowed nervously. "I'll come to your office tomorrow and explain everything. You won't believe me, I know you won't, but you need to know."

Emma then stepped forward until she was behind Alexandra. She waved her hand over her so that she would unfreeze enough to move her but not fully wake up. Slowly she picked her up and tucked her head under her neck before walking towards the door.

Once she was there, she turned back to Regina who still looked half confused, half angry and Emma wished she could kiss her, but she couldn't. Instead, she cleared her throat. "Tell Henry that I'll see him tomorrow so he can meet his sister," she requested. "And tell him to bring his storybook."

"Miss Swan!" Regina snapped, not used to Emma being in control. If she remembered, she would know that Emma's dominating side made her feel certain things and she found that it was having the same affect to her core. She cleared her throat in an attempt to clear her mind, it didn't work.

"What?" Emma turned and met Regina's eyes once more as she'd already turned her back on the mayor once. She saw a familiar glaze in Regina's eyes, but she convinced herself that it was just the trick of the light.

"If she's not the pirate's, whose is she?" Regina asked, pure curiosity replacing confusion. There was something else in her voice too that Emma couldn't put her finger on.

"Like I said, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," Emma repeated before sighing. "Look, I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I'll see you at 10."

Before Regina could reply, Emma waved her hand and unfroze everyone in the room.

"Mama?" Ally mumbled as she came to, confused how she was suddenly in Emma's arms.

"Come on, honey, it's time to go," Emma said quietly and walked through the door that Killian had opened for her.

"But Mommy?" Ally tried to turn back to Regina, but Emma kept walking. She knew Alexandra was about to start crying for Regina, and it broke her heart that she couldn't allow her to see her, but she knew the alternative would be worse. At least Alexandra had seen Regina to know she was there, but if she allowed her to talk to her and Regina not remember her, it would break heart.

Instead, Emma led them back to her bug before turning to Killian. "Have you got somewhere to stay?" She asked.

"Aye," he replied. "If we've really only been gone a few hours, I'll still have my rooms at Granny's."

"I've said to Regina I'll see her tomorrow to talk about, well, everything," she revealed.

"Do you want me to look after Ally while you see the Queen?" He asked.

"Could you? That would be brilliant," Emma said, relieved. She half expected that she'd either have to take her with her or leave her with Snow. She didn't know which was worse.

"Course," Hook said. "She's my first mate, aren't you Al Pal?"

Ally looked up at hearing Hook's nickname for her and she smiled before frowning. "I want Mommy," she said sadly.

Emma reached up and stroked her hair. "I know you do, honey. I do too," Emma paused to stop the inevitable sob, "but things aren't as simple here as they were. You'll understand someday. Now, let's go home."

"To Mommy?" Emma's heart broke at Ally's hopeful tone, but she shook her head.

"No, honey, to Grandma's," she replied before looking at Hook. "I'll drop her off at nine thirty tomorrow."

"Aye, love," he nodded. "Good night."

He ran his fingers softly through Ally's hair and kissed Emma on her temple before turning away and walking to the bed and breakfast door of Granny's. Emma opened the bug's doors and settled Ally in before driving home.

oOoOo

Emma took a deep breath as she stood outside Regina's office. She'd already dropped a very sleepy Alexandra off with Killian.

The night before, she'd driven back to Snow's but had simply ignored her parents and went to her room. She conjured up a small bed for Alexandra to sleep in, changed her dress into some pyjamas and tried to get her to sleep but it was to no avail. The little girl was adamant that she wanted Regina to tuck her in, no matter how many times Emma tried to persuade her. Emma had to put a silencing charm on her room so that Snow wouldn't come up to interrupt and say that Ally was keeping the baby up with her cries.

In the end, Ally ended up falling asleep out of exhaustion around midnight and was paying for it that morning. She was still upset and confused when Emma dropped her off with Killian but at least she smiled when she saw him.

Now though, Emma had to face Regina and she was both extremely excited and terrified. However, she also knew there was no time like the present…and the fact that Regina hated tardiness. So with another deep breath, she knocked on the door.

"Come in!" She heard Regina answer. It was now or never.

Slowly, Emma pushed open the door, revealing the very familiar room. She had been in here many a time and each time held something different. There had been shouting matches, innocent lunches and experiments. She just hoped this would go smoothly.

Regina was sitting behind her desk, her hands clasped together tightly in the centre of her desk. If Emma didn't know any better, she'd say Regina was nervous about what was going to happen, but Mayor Mills didn't get nervous, especially in front of Emma, so she knew she must be imagining it, right?

"Take a seat, Miss Swan," Regina said, pulling Emma out of her inner thoughts.

"What happened to calling me Emma?" Emma asked as she sat down at the other side of the desk. She kept her hands in her lap, her fingers twisting her wedding ring around her finger. She'd taken off her engagement ring last night, placing it in a safe place, but she couldn't bear the idea of not wearing her wedding ring. It was the smaller of the two and less noticeable.

"You don't deserve it right now," Regina replied, and Emma's heart stuttered.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "What? Why?"

"You were reckless and irresponsible getting caught in that portal," Regina chastised. "Henry was so worried! Then I had Snow and Charming chewing my ear until I did something to save you but there was nothing I could have done. I had to persuade Zelena to help me shut it down! _Zelena!_ Do you know how hard that was to convince her?"

Emma shook her head. Not trusting what would come out of her mouth if she spoke.

"Very difficult," Regina answered her own question. "We've come to a truce, but I don't know how long it will last. She's still adamant that she wants to destroy my happiness but after you went through the portal, she seemed to mellow out a little. I've no idea why."

Emma shrunk back in her chair. She had an inkling why Zelena backed down after Emma left. The Wicked Witch had taunted Emma in the past with her feelings towards the Mayor, naturally Emma had denied them vehemently, but it seemed the Witch had seen right through her.

"That's good though, if you're building a relationship with your sister?" Emma asked quietly. She absentmindedly placed her hand on her tummy. "Family is important."

Regina eyed her carefully, noting Emma's subtle movement, but she knew now was not the moment to ask about it when there were more pressing matters. She cleared her throat. "So, I believe you were intending on telling me who Alexandra's father was?" As Regina said the name, she felt a strange taste on her tongue. She knew she'd never said the name before but yet, it felt very familiar.

"You won't believe me," Emma murmured as she glanced down at her lap which just seemed to annoy Regina.

"Emma, just tell me," the Mayor snapped, finally losing her patience with it all.

The blonde didn't move her eyes off her lap as she continued to twist her ring around her finger. She stayed quiet until she heard Regina sigh.

"Fine, why don't you tell me what happened when you went back instead?" She suggested. "Work your way up with the story?"

Finally, Emma glanced up and she couldn't help the small smile. "Okay," she agreed.

Regina nodded and waved her hand, producing a coffee for herself and a hot chocolate with cinnamon for Emma and the blonde couldn't help the small grin. It was only a drink and she knew that Regina only knew her favourite drink because she shared it with their son, but the fact she'd given Emma it was a small victory.

Emma picked up her drink and took a sip, humming in delight at the taste. She'd had them sparingly in the past, but Regina had always been able to make the best ones on the rare occasions she'd had one.

Looking back up at Regina, Emma saw that she was looking at her expectedly. She couldn't delay it anymore. Placing the mug back down on the table, she took a deep breath.

"So I went back to the time of your reign before my parents met," Emma began before spilling into the story of Rumple refusing to help them because he didn't trust Hook so they decided to get Regina's help but Emma passed out before she reached the castle.

She then went on to tell Regina how she became a maid for Henry and they formed a close bond, especially after he was attacked by Robin Hood. Regina's eyebrows shot up at the revelation, but she didn't interrupt. She knew better.

Emma started to slow with her story as she got closer to revealing the truth about them.

"I found my True Love in the past," she muttered. She watched Regina's face carefully for a reaction. It was only because she knew Regina so well that she noticed the slight intake of breath and subtle change in her eyes. However, she couldn't concentrate on that. "That was why I was reluctant to come back. I had everything I wanted there. I had my True Love, my daughter and a family unit. The only thing missing was–"

"Henry," Regina predicted, interrupting for the first time.

Emma nodded. "Exactly. If he was there, I'd never have wanted to come back."

"What about your parents?" Regina asked.

The blonde shrugged. "I missed them, but I had another figure that was like a father to me. I loved him like he was my own father."

"Who?" Regina had given up being silent now. She wanted to know who Emma's True Love was, but she didn't want to outright ask it, so she was taking the long road.

"Your father," Emma revealed, surprising Regina. "We spent so much time together, he really helped me with everything. He is also the reason I found out who my True Love is. The other parent to Alexandra."

Despite it being the key moment, Regina didn't interrupt this time. She just looked expectedly at Emma.

"I think you know who it is by now, surely?" Emma asked as she bit her lip nervously. Glancing up, she saw Regina's engagement ring swinging on her necklace. Her fingers itched to touch it, but she didn't.

Regina shook her head and Emma sighed frustratedly, slamming back on her chair.

"It's you!" She all but yelled. "Why else do you think Ally ran to you yesterday screaming Mommy? How else would I have become so close to your father? You carried Alexandra for goodness' sake!"

"That's preposterous," Regina said sharply, finally speaking. "I can't–"

"Have children," Emma finished for her. "I know! But I broke that curse you put on yourself. You brought back my magic that Zelena cursed away and I broke your curse with True Love's Kiss! The portal opened at the end of our wedding!" Regina's mouth dropped open at the revelation as Emma slumped back on her chair. "I know you don't believe me," she muttered quietly, bringing the noise level down with her. "But it's all true. I told you then and I'll tell you now, I'll never lie to you." She glanced up, meeting her favourite chocolate brown eyes and swallowed nervously. "Because I _love_ you."

However, before Regina had the chance to respond, with what she didn't know, Emma had already flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of white.

oOoOo

"Fuck!" Emma cried once the smoke disappeared. Looking around, she saw that she was at the far end of Storybrooke, close to the docks. She hadn't really had a clear mind when she transported and was half convinced she'd splinch herself again but after a quick assessment of her body, she saw she was fine. "That was not how it was meant to go!"

"Sorry, are you talking to me?" Asked a voice behind her. A very familiar voice.

Turning around, Emma was greeted by the first woman she'd met in the past and she couldn't help but smile.

"Esmeralda!" She cried.

The maid smiled nervously. "I wasn't aware the Saviour knew my name, and my real name at that."

Emma faulted as she remembered that her friend didn't know who she was. "Well your reputation proceeds you," she lied.

Esmeralda's eyebrow raised. "I hardly believe that," she replied and chuckled. "I'm just a baker. Come on, I'll get you something to eat. You look like you need it."

Glancing around, Emma saw they were stood in front of a small bakery that she'd never been in since coming to Storybrooke. As it was at the far end of the town, she didn't really walk past to go in.

Once they'd entered, Emma saw two other familiar faces.

"Emma, this is Jodi and Mary-Jane," Esmeralda introduced. "Or you may know them as Lina and Laverne seeing as you know my real name." She chuckled and Emma was hoping that she remembered her, but it was clear that she didn't.

"Demi, how do you know the Saviour?" Laverne asked, her voice full of distrust. Emma didn't take offence. Laverne was like that with everyone new person she met.

"I come in peace," Emma said quickly, holding her hands up in surrender. "I should go."

"Nonsense," Esmeralda said. "I said I'd get you something to eat. God knows you need it after what happened." Emma cocked her head to the side in confusion. "News travels fast in this town, you know that," Esmeralda added. She held out a plate that had a bear claw on, Emma's favourite.

Emma sighed. "Definitely," she muttered before accepting the sweet treat. "These are my favourite. How did you know?"

Esmeralda smiled. "I have a skill. You look like a pastry gal."

"This is amazing!" Emma gasped after taking a bite. "Actually, could I have a small box to go? I'm sure my daughter will want one."

After a few minutes, Emma finished her pastry as Laverne handed over a box of bear claws. Emma reached into her pocket for some money, but Esmeralda placed her hand over Emma's.

"This is on me," she said kindly. "You look like you needed it."

"You have no idea," Emma replied. "I have to go, but I'll make sure to come back."

"You're welcome any time," Esmeralda said.

With the box safely under her arm, Emma smiled before leaving the bakery. She needed to see Ally and Hook. She shot off a quick text to Ruby to meet her at Hook's room. Never before had she been so happy to see her phone than lying on her bed the night before. It seemed someone must have found it when they went looking for her.

After sending the text, she flicked her wrist, allowing it to carry her to Granny's Diner. She didn't want to poof straight into Hook's room as to not frighten Ally. As she walked into the B&B, she bumped into Ruby.

"You're cheating on Granny's?" She asked as she saw the bakery box under Emma's arm. It had the Maid Bakery logo plastered on it.

"I'll explain everything when we're inside," Emma replied and Ruby nodded before motioning for Emma to lead the way.

Once she arrived at Hook's room. She knocked twice before walking straight in. Hook was sitting on the sofa with Ally's head on his lap. She was fast asleep.

"Hi," Emma whispered, and Hook looked up.

"She's been asleep for the past half an hour," he replied.

"She didn't sleep very well last night," Emma revealed as she walked over. "Let her sleep. Have you tried moving her to the bed?"

Hook nodded. "She just complained so I let her stay here." He blushed. "I must admit, I do rather need the toilet."

Emma chuckled before reaching out. With a slow raise of her hand, she lifted Alexandra off Hook's knee without waking her. She then walked carefully over to the pirate's bed. With a flick of her other wrist, the bedding was changed and the duvet pulled back. Slowly, she dropped Ally onto the bed before manually pulling the duvet over her. She pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, trying not to wake her up, before returning to Ruby who'd taken a seat on the vacated sofa.

"Your magic really is good now," she murmured.

"All because of Regina's training," Emma replied as Hook returned from the bathroom. "Right, let's get some drinks," Emma decided as she made their way over to sit beside Ruby.

With a wave of her hand, Emma produced a tray of tea before she opened the box of pastries and took one out, offering them to everyone. Ruby was a little reluctant, as she took it to cheating on her grandmother's cooking, but she took one anyway because she was curious, and a little bit hungry.

"So, how did it go?" Hook asked.

"Before I get into that, I need to tell you something," Emma said as she took hold of Hook's hand. "Lina is here, I just saw her."

"What?" Hook gasped and smiled, unable to help himself.

"She works at Maid Bakery, but she's called Jodi here," she revealed. "Esmeralda and Laverne were there too. It looks like Regina let them stay together during the curse."

Hook continued to smile for a moment before he got serious. "How was it then?" He asked gently.

Emma sighed. "I mean, it didn't go badly, so to speak, but she still doesn't remember anything. I tried to say things that would trigger her memory but there was nothing."

"Did you tell her she's Ally's other mother?" Ruby enquired.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "She didn't believe me, obviously." She ripped apart her pastry with her teeth before swallowing. "I may or may not have told her that we're True Loves and that the portal opened because we got married and then told her that I love her before I poofed away?" She bit her lip nervously

"You did what?!" Ruby gasped.

"I know," Emma sighed. "I wasn't thinking straight. There are so many things going on at the moment and it's hard to concentrate." She rested her head in her hands and felt Ruby's arm wrap around her supportively.

"Tell us what we need to do to help," Ruby requested quietly. "We're here for you."

Emma was silent for a few minutes as she thought about what she wanted to say. One was somewhat easy to announce, the other, she knew would change things.

"I want to get Maleficent back," she said finally. "She's not dead, she's just dust. I want her back. I miss my friend."

Ruby nodded. "We can work on that," she said before pausing and taking in Emma's expression. "Why do I get the feeling there's something else you want to say?"

Emma chuckled. "You know me too well," she murmured before becoming serious. "I found out about two months ago and didn't want to tell Regina before the wedding," she swallowed and looked at Hook who nodded encouragingly. Emma took a deep breath before looking back at Ruby. "I'm pregnant."

 _A/N: Who saw that coming? (Many of you apparently!) Also, can anyone guess where I got the inspiration behind Esmeralda, Lina and Laverne's Storybrooke names? A cookie is up for grabs for who gets it right! I also just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I was astounded at the number. I love every single one of you! Love Emss xx_


	46. Chapter 46

After her revelation, Emma burst into tears. She held her head in her hands as she cried.

Panicked, all Ruby could do was rub her back and tell her everything would be okay. Hook also moved to sit beside the blonde and wrap his arm around her.

"Everything will work out, love," he promised her.

"Not if she doesn't love me," Emma sobbed.

"She does," Ruby said confidently. "Even now. I've seen the way she looks at you when you're not looking. She's smitten with you, she just believes that she should be with Robin because of the whole shitty soulmate thing."

Despite the hope speech, Emma continued to cry. "I need to tell her about the pregnancy again. I left her a letter with Henry to tell her, but she clearly can't remember. But I can't do it. I can't tell her that I'm carrying her child while she doesn't remember anything about us. I want to see the look of joy on her face like when she found out she was pregnant with Alexandra and if I tell her now, it'll just be scorn and disbelief. I can't have that."

Ruby and Hook held the blonde tighter.

"It's gonna be okay," Ruby insisted. "We'll find a way to get Maleficent back and she can help us with Regina. It'll be fine."

Emma chuckled sadly and looked up with a watery smile. "You say that like it'll be easy."

Ruby shrugged. "Everything is easy if you put your mind to it."

Just as Ruby said that, Emma heard a familiar voice saying the same thing. She shut her eyes as she remembered sitting in Regina's library with Henry when he gave her the ring so that she could use it to propose to Regina. In the end, that had been easy because it was meant to be.

Looking up, she smiled, a genuine smile for the first time that day. "First things first, I need to spend some time with my son and then we get Maleficent back. With the two of them on my side, we'll be able to persuade Regina of the truth. Right?"

She glanced between her friends who both looked a little apprehensive but smiled reassuringly. However, they didn't answer Emma's hopeful question.

oOoOo

That evening, Emma was finally properly reunited with her son. After dinner, Regina had dropped Henry off but refused to step inside the loft. Henry had asked why, but Regina had remained tight lipped about it all.

Snow and Charming had decided to take the baby out to Granny's to give Emma some time with Henry. They had tried to get more information out of their daughter about her time in the past, but Emma hadn't wanted to talk to them.

Henry let himself into the loft and saw his mother trying to explain the TV to the little blonde girl beside her. His sister, he reminded himself.

"Hey, Ma," he greeted as he made his way over to the sofa.

"Henry!" She called, looking up from Alexandra. She stood up and met him half way, pulling him into a long hug, breathing in his scent once more. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," he replied and allowed his mother to keep hugging him. It was odd for him to see her react like this. For him, she'd only been gone for a few hours.

Finally, Emma pulled back from the hug and wiped her eyes and Henry realised that she'd teared up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, nervously.

"Yeah," she replied, a little too quickly to be truthful, "why wouldn't I be?"

Henry shrugged. "Just checking." He then glanced up at Alexandra who was watching him carefully.

Emma glanced over her shoulder at her two children. "I see introductions need to be made before this one," she bopped Ally on her nose, making her giggle, "needs to go to bed."

"Mama!" Ally giggled.

Emma laughed too before she leant over and picked up her daughter. Immediately, Ally tucked her head into Emma's neck as was her usual place when she was nervous. "Henry, meet your sister, Alexandra Charlotte. Ally for short."

Henry walked forward nervously. "Hello Ally," he said quietly. "I'm Henry, your big brother."

Slowly, Ally turned her head so she could look at her brother. She smiled nervously. "Hi," she whispered.

As Henry took in his sister, his eyebrows shot up. He glanced between his mother and sister. His eyes flicking to and fro as his mouth dropped. He flopped back onto the sofa.

"Oh my god!" He gasped.

"What?" Emma asked.

"She really is Mom's, isn't she?" Henry figured out. "What actually happened in the past?"

Emma bit her lip nervously. "I'll just pop Ally to bed and then I'll be right back. You can make us a drink."

Fortunately, Ally cooperated with her mother that evening and allowed her to put her to bed. She feebly asked for Regina but after the late night the night before, she drifted off to sleep rather quickly before Emma could answer.

After taking a deep breath, Emma headed downstairs. Once down, she saw Henry sitting on the sofa, two glasses of milk and his storybook on the table.

"Hey," she greeted softly as she took a seat beside him.

"So she is Mom's?" Henry repeated.

"How did you know?" Emma asked after taking a sip of her milk.

Henry smiled. "I mean, she did run at Mom shouting Mommy yesterday, that was a bit of a giveaway," Henry replied with a smirk. Emma saw so much of Regina in the facial expression, something she used to hate but now found rather endearing. Emma rolled her eyes. "But just looking at her, she looks a lot like you, the eyes, the hair, but her mouth is all Mom and her skin tone is darker than yours. That ruled out Hook for one, he's just as pale as you." He sipped his milk. "What I don't get is how it all happened?" He reached for his storybook and flicked through the pages. "You're not in here at all. Mom practically ripped through all the pages this afternoon. When I asked her why, she wouldn't tell me. Ma, what's going on?"

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "You're right, she is Regina's. In fact, she carried her."

Henry's eyebrows shot up once more in shock. "How?" He gasped.

"It's a very long story," Emma warned but Henry just flashed her his cheekiest smile that made him look exactly like his father which make Emma smile fondly at the memory of him.

"Well as you know, Hook and I went to investigate the beam of light in the barn," Emma began. As she had with Regina earlier, she told him of how she journeyed to Regina's castles but this time, she kept going, telling her son about accidentally overstepping with the Queen but then winning her round. "We'd had such an emotional evening and before I knew it, we kissed." She smiled warmly at the memory of it. "My magic came back and another curse broke meaning your mother could have children. Nine months after that night, Alexandra was born."

Unable to help himself, Henry pulled a face at the implication of what his mother had said.

Emma chuckled. "Sorry, Kid." She took a sip of her milk. "From then we grew together and fell more in love every day. In all honesty, I didn't want to leave. The only reason I wanted to come back," she looked at her son and smiled, "was for you. I missed you every day. There were times when I would think "what would Henry do?" or "what would Henry think about this?" You'd have loved it and meeting your grandfather was amazing. You really do deserve his name." She sighed. "I'm really going to miss him."

Henry half smiled. He liked hearing about his namesake and was rather gutted that he'd never meet him. His smile faulted as he looked at the storybook. "Then why aren't you in here?"

"I can't answer that one, Kid," Emma said sadly. "Ruby said there was a curse that took away their memories. She only kept hers because I gave her and Maleficent a potion to retain them should something like that happen."

"Maleficent?" Henry repeated.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, we got quite close," she revealed. "In fact, I was kinda hoping to resurrect her. Want to join and make it an operation?"

Henry's eyes lit up in excitement. "I'm in."

Emma grinned as she got her phone out and shot off a quick text to Ruby to tell her that Henry was part of their team.

oOoOo

A couple of days later, Emma was on her way to the library. She'd succeeded in avoiding Regina since revealing that she was Alexandra's other mother which both amazed her and upset her. She knew Regina only let them avoid each other when it was what she wanted. If she knew Emma wanted to avoid her, she went out of her way to ensure that she couldn't. As Emma hadn't seen the mayor since that day, she knew she didn't want to see her.

Alexandra was still confused as to why her mama wouldn't let her see Mommy, but she'd stopped crying and demanding to see her because it wasn't working and it made her mama sad every time she asked. She really was a remarkable child.

Emma had also had to go back to work which she didn't really want as she wanted to stay with Ally during the day, but she had to make a living. So while she worked, Ally stayed with Hook who everyone presumed was her father and after talking with Emma about it, they came to the decision to not deny or accept the claim otherwise there would be more speculation about who Ally's father was if people didn't think it was Hook. Snow was also acting as if the pirate was Alexandra's father, she refused to accept that Regina was her other mother. It didn't half drive Emma up the wall, but she'd given up fighting…for now.

With being back in Storybrooke for a few days, Emma had been able to organise a meeting, well Ruby had with Henry's help. They had been getting together a team to help get Maleficent back and had decided to meet at the library. Naturally Emma would be there along with Henry and Ruby but the latter two had asked Belle to help with her vast knowledge of books. Then there was also Hook who wanted to be there for moral support rather than for any skill, his words, not Emma's. The others were expected to meet her there.

Emma walked into the library in with Ally on her hip and saw Ruby and Belle talking quietly over a stack of books that the smaller brunette had already researched as she'd been informed of the task the day before. Hook was hovering behind Henry who was looking through the storybook with a fine-toothed comb, trying to find any evidence that his mother had been there, but he was coming up empty.

"Hello!" Emma greeted as she walked up to them.

She was met with the chants of "Hey, Ma!" and "Hey, Emma!" as she got closer. As usual, the library was empty, despite it being Saturday afternoon. It was the prime-time Emma would go when she was younger, but she kept her mind off that by magicking up a beanbag for Ally to sit on. She also produced her small blocks and a new version of her small teddy dragon, the original was back in her room at the castle, to keep her busy while the adults and Henry spoke.

"Are we all ready?" Emma asked, looking up at her son and friends.

"We're just waiting on one more," Ruby revealed.

Emma cocked her head to the side in confusion. She wasn't aware that there was another member. "Who?"

However, just as she asked the question, the door blew open to reveal their final team member.

"Yes, it's me, the Wicked Witch, I'm fabulous," Zelena announced as she walked in, sashaying as if she owned the place, before standing beside Ruby.

"Umm yeah," Emma acknowledged. "Why are you here?" She asked slowly, confusion etched over her face.

"Ruby told me about what happened," Zelena replied. "She thought I could help. Something about keeping me busy now I can't keep trying to defeat Regina because we've called a 'truce' now." She lifted her hands to put air quotes around the word truce. "So I'm bored."

Emma chuckled. "Well as long as you're not going to hurt us from the inside, welcome aboard!"

"Yeah, welcome to Operation Phoenix," Henry added with a proud smile.

He'd named the mission moments after Emma told him about it. He thought that dragon was a bit too obvious and liked the image of Mal rising from the ashes even though she was a dragon, not a phoenix. Emma had agreed immediately. He was still very confused as to what had happened in the past, but he believed his mother and he knew, even before Emma had gone into the past, that his mothers were meant to be together. The Evil Queen and the Saviour, it was romantic and somewhat poetic.

"Well you need someone with magical skill for this to work," Zelena sassed.

Emma raised her eyebrow before flicking her wrist to produce a fireball. "You were saying?"

Rising to the challenge, Zelena flicked her own wrist and produced two smaller flames that rose and intertwined before bursting into two mini fireworks.

Emma looked impressed and nodded. "Alright, I'll give you that," she conceded, making the others laugh. "Shall we get started?"

The team nodded and they all took a seat at the table where Henry was already sitting. Emma sat so that she could still keep an eye on her daughter. She quickly waved her hand over Ally's blocks so that they would automatically return to her if they fell too far. Henry had a notepad and pen poised ready to write down anything useful that was said.

"I mean, there's nothing more to say than I want to resurrect Maleficent," Emma said, making sure everyone knew what was on the agenda, though she knew they were already aware. "But at the moment, she's underneath us right now as a pile of ash…"

"What actually happened when she was turned to ash?" Belle asked as she started turning pages in the first book. "What was going on?"

Emma blushed. "I threw a sword in her chest when she was about to set fire to me," she said as nonchalantly as she could. She grimaced in guilt. "I didn't know who she was then and now I do. If I have _any_ chance of getting Regina to remember that she loves me, I need Maleficent back."

"When did Regina love you?" Zelena asked, gobsmacked and Emma quickly realised that the witch hadn't been informed of everything. "Now I'm definitely in!"

"Why?" Emma countered. "You were all for destroying her, well, a few days ago. What's changed?"

Zelena smirked. "I can tell her "I told you so" if I get her to admit that she's in love with you. She's been denying if for weeks."

"That's because she can't remember," Emma reminded her.

"Semantics," Zelena replied waving away whatever Emma had said before becoming serious. "Now, let's figure out a way to get the dragon back before worrying about my sister's love life, shall we?"

Emma rolled her eyes but conceded once more. She could already tell how this new-found friendship with the Witch was going to go. "Whatever," she murmured. "Anyway, Belle, what have you found so far?"

Belle pulled a face. "There are a couple of theories in this book, but none of them are particularly desirable," she replied. She flipped to the one of the bookmarked pages. "There's this one that requires the blood of the person who wronged her most, but we don't know who that is so that one's out." She then flipped a couple of pages. "This one requires true sacrifice so that one is definitely out!"

"What kind of sacrifice?" Ruby asked out of curiosity.

"Unimaginable," Belle replied. "They want a close friend or family member to swap with her so…" She shivered at the thought.

"I agree, definitely out!" Emma added as she knew that the only ones who fit the category were her and Regina which defeated the point of getting the dragon back!

"Then the last one is still a little farfetched if we don't have Regina involved," Belle murmured as she flicked to the page. "It wants the person who trapped her to undo the spell on them and set them free, but that isn't going to work as we don't want Regina to know about it all." She sighed. "There are other books to check and I guess I could ask Rumple–"

"No!" Emma cried loudly, cutting the librarian off. "Sorry!" She added quickly. "But I don't want him involved with any of this. He tried to kill me in the past, I'm not having him working with me."

Belle's eyes widened at the revelation, so did Henry's. He reached out and rested his hand on top of his mother's and squeezed. "We'll figure it out without Grandpa, don't worry." He smiled his signature grin that melted Emma's heart and she calmed down.

"Great, okay," she muttered. "So, is there anything else you've found?"

Belle shook her head. "No, sorry, but I'll keep looking."

Emma bit her lip as she thought about something. She glanced nervously at Zelena as she mentioned it. "I think we should have a look in some of Cora's books. She would probably have something on this."

Zelena took in Emma as she listened to her suggestion. "And where would we find my mother's books?" She asked.

"In Regina's vault," Emma replied. "I need to get in there to find something anyway. The only issue is getting in and out without her knowing I was there."

"I can distract her," Henry said easily. "She's promised to spend some time with just me this evening without lover boy and his kid." At the terms, Emma raised her eyebrow. She thought Henry got on well with Robin and Roland but apparently all was not as it seemed. "Leave it to me, Ma, I've got this."

Emma nodded. "Well that looks like all we can do for now," she said. "I'll try and get what I need from Regina's vault tonight and see what I can find." She looked up at Hook. "Can you look after–"

"I'll look after Al Pal tonight," he finished, knowing what Emma was about to say. "Don't worry."

The blonde smiled. "You're a star."

"Do you want any help looking in Regina's vault?" Zelena asked. "I have time to spare."

"Do you promise not to mess with anything?" Emma countered, raising her eyebrow.

Zelena rolled her eyes and pretended to draw a cross on her chest. "Cross my heart and all that." Emma raised her eyebrow. "I promise not to touch anything I shouldn't."

The blonde nodded. "Meet me in the graveyard at eight."

oOoOo

"It's freezing!" Zelena groaned as she crossed the graveyard.

"Hurry up then, it'll be warmer inside!" Emma called back to the Witch. It still baffled her that she'd offered to come help but she had quickly accepted it. She begrudgingly had to accept that she did need someone with a higher magical skill than she possessed, even if she had gotten better of the last few years. Besides, she didn't want to be exhausting too much power due to the pregnancy.

Once Zelena arrived, Emma waved her hand over the enchantments on the vault, recognising the charms she, Regina and Maleficent had placed on the castle. Mal had been right, it was easy to take down spells you were familiar with.

"That's a point, how did you get your magic back?" Zelena asked curiously as they made their way into the main room of the vault.

"Don't laugh," Emma warned and Zelena crossed her heart again making Emma chuckle. "True Love's Kiss with Regina when I was in the past."

"I can't wait to hear the story of that," Zelena mused before becoming serious. "So, do you know where my dear sister keeps our darling mother's books?"

Emma shook her head. "No, but I know what they look like, but first, I want to find something else to show you."

She then crossed the room to the familiar chest of draws. She opened the bottom draw and saw the pin cushion she'd disguised Cora's diaries as. She waved her hand over it and the pin cushion turned into the diaries.

"These were written by Cora," she murmured, "but they're her diaries. She wrote about you and I read about it in the past and knew you needed to know about it." She handed the books over to Zelena who took them cautiously. "She wanted to keep you, you know."

Zelena glanced between the books and Emma and smiled nervously. "I'll read them later." She waved her hand over the pile and sent the back to the farm house to peruse after she'd helped Emma. "Tell me what the other books look like."

Emma told her what she remembered of Cora's books and the two got looking. They had been there for about half an hour and had found a couple of the aforementioned books, but not the ones that Emma remembered. There was a potion book she wanted to get her hands on, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"I've found something," Zelena murmured. "It's not one of mother's books but I think you need to see it."

Emma crossed the room and saw what Zelena had in her hands. It was another version of Henry's storybook! Gingerly, Emma took the book out of the Witch's hands and opened the first page and finally she had her proof. As she flicked through the pages, she saw hers and Regina's love story unravel.

As she flicked to the back page, a small envelope fell out. Picking up, Emma turned it over to see who it was addressed to and her eyes teared up at the familiar handwriting that said, "To m _y dearest Emma."_

 _A/N: The maid's names were inspired by the actresses who voiced them! Also, due to the inspiration and love from everyone for the last two chapters (and a horrible day at work) here's a surprise and another chapter for you all. Enjoy! Love, Emss xx_


	47. Chapter 47

Emma stared at the envelope in complete shock. She just couldn't believe that it was in her hand and she had no idea how it came to be. It was only when Zelena spoke only a few seconds later, but it seemed like hours to Emma, that her attention was taken away from it.

"Who is it from?" Zelena asked quietly, not wanting to scare the blonde.

"Henry," Emma replied with a fond smile. She looked up at Zelena who looked confused. "Regina's father, Henry, not our son," she clarified.

"Oh." The Witch didn't know what else to say at that moment.

Deciding nothing was more important at that moment than knowing what the letter said, Emma took a seat on the chaise longue and started to open the envelope with very shaky hands. She was halfway through when her phone started to buzz in her pocket. So unused to having with her, it made her jump.

"Jesus!" She gasped. She dropped the letter in the rush and quickly leant down to retrieve it while she pulled the device out of her pocket. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Henry. "This can't be good," she murmured as she accepted the call.

"Ma, get out now!" Henry cried as the call connected. "Mom's on her way to the vault! Don't ask me why, I don't know, but I couldn't stop her. Get out quickly."

"Got cha!" Emma replied before she disconnected the call and looked Zelena. "We're about to have company. We've got to go!"

Zelena nodded and picked up the books they'd found while Emma got hold of the alternate storybook and the letter from Henry. With a curt nod to each other, they both flicked their wrists and disappeared in their own clouds of smoke.

When it cleared, they were both standing in the now deserted library. It had been the plan to head there if they were interrupted for any reason.

"I wonder what made Regina go in," Zelena mused as she placed the books down on the counter. "It wouldn't be like Henry to blab on us, would it?"

Emma shook her head. "No, he's not like that, despite being the grandson of Snow White," she chuckled. "I'll ask him tomorrow when he's over. For now, I'd better get Ally and head home."

She pulled a face at the idea of having to go back to the loft with her parents. After so long away on her behalf, it was difficult finding the swing of things with living with her parents again. Naturally, Snow and Charming weren't acting any different because to them, Emma hadn't been away long, but for Emma, it was challenging. She had gotten so used to doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Sure, she'd let Regina know if she was going elsewhere but she'd trusted that Emma would come back. Snow, however, would ask when she would be back and how long she was going to be out, where she was going and who with. She felt like she was fifteen all over again. It was driving her up the wall.

On top of all of that, Ally was restless most nights as she was in a new place, sleeping in a different bed and spending time with unfamiliar people who were apparently her family members. She had stopped asking for Regina, but Emma often caught her crying a little when she went to bed because she missed her mother. What Alexandra didn't know is Emma did the same.

Zelena watched Emma for a moment. "You know, you and Ally can stay with me for a while if you'd prefer?" She offered.

Emma's eyes widened. "Really?"

The Witch shrugged nonchalantly. "She's my niece after all and I know all about being in a place where you don't feel like you belong," she revealed quietly. "Besides, we can look through all of these books together then and try and figure everything out."

Emma considered that for a moment. It would be easier if they didn't have to schedule all meetings with each other as she knew the two would have the most to do to resurrect Maleficent. Plus, she would have her own space with her daughter again.

"You know what, Zelena, you're on," Emma said with a smile. "I can't thank you enough."

Zelena waved her off. "We're family now, I guess." She smiled. "Plus, I'd like the company and to get to know Ally. She seems adorable."

"She's amazing," Emma grinned like she always did when she thought about her daughter. "When can we move in?"

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Zelena suggested. "I'll get the house cleaned tomorrow morning and then we can get your things moved in the afternoon. I have plenty of room. Ally can have her own room too and Henry can have his own room when he stays over. We can even set up an "operation" room in the study. Henry will love that, I'm sure."

Emma nodded. "Definitely." She sighed. "For now though, I need to get Alexandra from Killian's and read this letter. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Let me know if it's any different."

"I will," Zelena reassured her.

With a hesitant smile, the two flicked their wrists once more.

oOoOo

Later that night, after Emma had put Alexandra to bed, she finally got around to reading the letter she'd found in Regina's vault. She reached over and took a sip of her hot chocolate, she wished she could have some wine but alas, she couldn't.

Settling back, she finally opened the envelope and slipped the letter out delicately, before she began to read.

 _My dearest Emma,_

 _It has been a year since you left and so much has happened. Since the day you left, Regina has not been the same. She became depressed and devastated after your departure, but a month later, she cast the curse you believed would happen. All memory of your time here has been wiped from everyone's memory aside from myself and Maleficent. Regina now has no memory of you or Alexandra. I begged and pleaded with her to stop and change her mind, but there was nothing I, nor Maleficent, could do._

 _I blame the Dark One. I don't think a week has gone by in the last year that he hasn't been here. Of course, he was the one to help her with the curse. He remembers you, of that I'm sure. He often makes passing remarks regarding your time here. Regina doesn't pick up on them, but I do. So please be careful if he is there in your time. Even if Regina can't remember, he hasn't forgotten._

 _I can already hear you asking about how to break the spell. It is rather simple. True Love's Kiss of course. Regina cast the curse knowing that she would see you again and she believed that your love was strong enough in the future to break the curse. I see now that your worry that she would be with this Robin man was worthy. I believe in you, my dear, if Regina does start a courtship with that man, I know you will do what it takes to get her back._

 _When you first arrived, I found a book in my library, telling the story of your parents meeting. I have no idea how it came to be there, but I found a quill beside it and instead of allowing their story to progress, I wrote yours and Regina's. The truest of love stories I've ever known. Within these pages, I retold your story of how you met and the strength of your love. I hope that you will share this with your son, your daughter and your unborn child. I am so sorry that I will never get to meet them, but I am thrilled for you, my darling._

 _Regina was so ecstatic when she read about your pregnancy. I think, perhaps, that's what drew the line for her. She'd say everyday that she was excited for the baby and then realise that you weren't there and she could potentially miss the birth. There were days she was joyful but the next she'd be devastated. It was messing with her and I think that's why she wanted the curse, to be able to put that out of her mind and live her life easily. I can't say as I blame her really for that._

 _I miss you and think of you often. The time is coming for Regina's curse and she grows darker every day. I know my life will soon be over, but I have no regrets except not helping Regina more or meeting my grandson and soon to be grandchild._

 _Pass my greetings on to Alexandra and tell her that Grandpa loves her and misses her so completely. The castle is so quiet without her bright bubbling laughter echoing around the halls. Strangely, I even miss the pirate and his inappropriate jokes, pass my greetings on to him as well. Thumbelina was very quiet in the first few days. Even now she doesn't remember him, there's something missing in her eyes._

 _Please don't read this letter in sadness, my dear, read it in joy. I wish you the most beautiful and fulfilling life. I hope your children grow and shine dazzlingly. Most importantly, I wish you the greatest luck in restoring your love with my darling daughter. I believe in you._

 _I love you, my darling daughter (in law) and I hope to see you again someday._

 _All my love,_

 _Henry._

Every word Emma read, hit her heart and filled it with love. She missed Henry ridiculously and it had only been a few days. Nevertheless, her tears ran down her face in both sadness and happiness. The letter she had given to Henry the night he'd help her with her vows revealed her pregnancy and told him how she felt about him in words.

She had also given Regina a very similar letter, telling her just how much she loved her and also revealed her pregnancy. However, it seemed that had also been lost in the curse.

It didn't surprise her that Rumple was behind it. Of course, he was. It would have been more unusual if hadn't been. She hadn't actually thought of what would happen with him, but he was the Dark One. She should never have forgotten. Fortunately, she had yet to run into him and she hoped, with Belle on her side, she'd have a little bit of protection.

Finally, she placed the letter down on her bedside table and pulled the storybook to her. She flipped open to the first page and saw the first pages she saw when she'd first found the book in Henrys' library. At least now she understood why it had disappeared. As she turned the pages, she saw hers and Regina's love story unfold. From their first meeting to their wedding day. Henry finished the story with Regina and Rumple casting the forgetful curse.

On the final page, Emma couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she read Henry's encouraging words.

 _The curse to forget was the last resort that the Queen could muster. However, as with all curses, there is one failsafe antidote. True Love's Kiss. So Emma, don't hesitate, my dear. Win your Queen back and I promise, you will live Happily Ever After._

Emma smiled sadly. He always believed everything was easy. She just wished it was. With a sigh, she placed the book on top of the letter and she flicked her wrist, turning out the lamp beside her, before rolling over and falling asleep.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma was getting Alexandra ready for the day. She'd already dressed her in a pair of jeans and a thin jumper. The little girl had been very confused when her mother showed her the pants for the first time. She was a little apprehensive but allowed her mother to dress her in them and now she actually requested them.

Emma was brushing her hair, something Regina used to do most mornings, as she was telling her about moving in with Zelena.

"Who is Zeleeen?" Ally asked, not quite picking up the witch's name.

Emma chuckled. "Zelena," she corrected. "She's your auntie and she's offered to let us stay with her for a while until we find somewhere else."

Ally tilted her head. "Your sister?"

The brush paused in Ally's hair and Emma stumbled over what to say. "Umm no, she's Mommy's sister."

"I miss Mommy," Ally whispered and she started to tear up.

Sighing, Emma placed the brushed down and crouched in front of her daughter. She placed her hands lightly on Ally's knees. "I miss her too, baby girl," she admitted.

"Why doesn't she know me?" Ally whispered as the tears slipped down her cheeks. "She no love me."

"Oh honey," Emma gasped. She reached up to thumb away her daughter's tears. "She does love you, my darling. She just doesn't remember you."

"Why?"

Emma sighed. She picked Ally up and sat down on the bed with her daughter on her lap. Immediately, Ally rested her head in her mother's neck. There was a long stretch of silence as Emma tried to figure out how to explain to her three-year-old just exactly what was going on. Despite being ridiculously clever, she was still just a child.

"We're in a different time now to where we were," Emma began. "We're in the future to where Mommy was from. It's been 30 years and, in that time, she cast a spell that made her forget about us."

"Why?" Ally repeated. "She no love us?"

"Of course she loves us," Emma assured her. She leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Ally's head. "She just couldn't live without us. It made her sad. Like we can't live without her now. It makes us sad."

"So we forget too?" Ally asked sadly as she frowned.

"No, we make her remember," Emma replied. "We need Auntie Mally back to help and then we're going to get Mommy back." She pulled Ally close and slowly rocked her side to side. "I promise, baby, we're going to be a family again."

Ally didn't reply as she leant into her mother. Emma cuddled her daughter close for a few moments, breathing in her comforting smell.

"I love you, princess," she murmured.

"Love you, Mama," Ally mumbled into Emma's neck.

When the moment ended, Emma finished brushing Ally's hair and tied it up in a pony tail with a butterfly hair tie. She then picked her up and hooked her onto her hip before walking them downstairs to the kitchen. Emma needed to tell her parents what the plan was for that afternoon. She was nervous, anyone would be, but she knew she needed to do it.

Unsurprisingly, Snow was stood in the kitchen, washing up hers and David's breakfast dishes. The Prince had already headed to work. Snow was humming to herself quietly, in that moment being the familiar cartoon character Emma associated her with. When she saw Emma heading towards her, she smiled but as she saw Ally, her smile tightened. Emma pretended to ignore it.

"Good morning," Snow greeted.

"Morning, Mary Margaret," Emma replied as she headed to the breakfast bar. She dropped Ally softly onto one of the stools, making sure that she wouldn't slip off. "What would you like for breakfast, Princess?"

"Toast with raspberry jam?" Ally requested.

Emma ran her fingers through Ally's hair. "Coming right up, Buttercup."

Ally giggled at the nickname as it reminded her of Hook. The captain had many nicknames for the little princess, but his favourite ones were Buttercup, Al Pal and his first mate. The bond between the two of them was unbreakable and Emma adored it.

Emma set to making hers and Ally's breakfast, deciding to make herself the same, while also getting some apple juice for the two of them while the bread was toasting.

"What are your plans for today?" Snow asked as she finished off the pots. The blonde's hand hesitated, the knife hovering over the bread. She bit her lip nervously. "Emma?" Snow called, sensing the hesitation.

Ignoring her mother, Emma quickly finished off their breakfasts. She placed Ally's breakfast in front of her which kept her entertained before she turned to her mother. She took a couple of bites of her toast before dropping it on the plate.

"I need to talk to you," she murmured.

Snow took in the serious look on her daughter's face. "Oh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Emma said quickly. "There's just going to be a change."

"What is?" Snow asked.

"We're moving out," Emma revealed.

Snow dropped the plate she was drying and it smashed on the floor. She cried out which made Ally look up from her food and the baby start to cry.

"Oh god," Snow sighed as she started towards the crib.

"You don't need to rush to him," Emma said, remembering Ally's early days. "He'll be okay in a second." She waved her hand over the broken plate and the shards sealed back together. The newly fixed plate landed softly on the counter.

"You mean leave him to cry?" Snow asked. She looked horrified at the suggestion.

"You just spooked him," Emma replied. "Listen, he's fine now we've brought the noise level down."

Snow still look distrustful and ignored her daughter's suggestion, heading over to the crib and picking up the baby. She cuddled him close to her and rocked him side to side, but he was already back asleep.

Emma had to bite her lip to prevent her from saying, "I told you so."

Pretending nothing had happened, Emma continued. "We're moving out. I need some space."

"Are you moving in with Killian?" Snow asked.

"What?" Emma cried incredulously. Fortunately, her yell hadn't woken her brother. "No! Why on earth would you think that?"

"So that Alexandra can spend more time with her father, isn't it obvious?"

If Snow wasn't holding the baby and Ally wasn't in the room, Emma may have just smacked her mother. Instead, she inhaled for four and exhaled slowly for another count of four.

"Why can't you get it into your thick skull that Killian is _not_ Alexandra's father?" Emma asked, fury thick in her voice. " _Regina_ is her mother!"

"Emma," Snow sighed, patronisingly shaking her head. "I don't get why you insist on lying about it. It doesn't matter to me that she was born out of wedlock if that's what you're worried about."

The blonde stared at her mother, her eyes wide in shock. "What planet do you live on!?" She scoffed. "You know what, Alexandra _was_ born out of wedlock. Regina and I only married a few days ago and that's how the portal opened so that we were able to come back. I know you don't believe me," Emma said quickly as she feared her mother was about to interrupt, "but everything I've said since I came back is true." She shook her head as she saw her mother still wanted to argue. "You know what, I told Zelena I'd be over this afternoon, but I'm gonna go now and help her clean."

"You're moving in with Zelena?" Snow asked. "Don't you remember who she is? What she's done?"

"She's trying to change and I can see it," Emma replied. "And she believes me and doesn't make me feel unwanted." Emma walked over to her daughter and picked her up before she turned and started walking towards the door. "Bye, Mom. Bye, bro."

"We called him Neal," Snow cried to Emma's back.

The blond hesitated in her steps. Slowly, she turned around. "What?" She asked, her voice low and crisp.

Snow looked anxious, biting her lip and holding the baby close. "We wanted to honour Neal's sacrifice," she revealed. "So we named him Neal."

Emma didn't say anything for a few moments. "Neal deserves to be honoured," she agreed. "I just don't like the idea that my brother is named after my first love."

"You don't have to like it," Snow snapped, getting defensive, "but that's how it is."

"Exactly," Emma said quietly. "But yet you don't believe _me,_ and I have to accept what _you_ say?" She shook her head. "You're a hypocrite, Mary Margaret."

Emma turned once more and headed to the door. She ignored her mother when she cried out her name. Opening the door, Emma headed out of the loft and towards the day.

She kept walking for a little while before she slumped down on a nearby bench, allowing Ally to sit on her knee.

"Mama, you okay?" Ally asked quietly. She'd taken in most of the conversation between her mother and grandmother, but she didn't really understand much.

Emma sighed and she allowed the tears to finally fall. "No, baby, I'm not," she replied honestly.

Ally then reached up and pressed a big kiss on her mother's cheek. "Be happy, Mama."

"It's not that easy," Emma chuckled as she gave her daughter a watery smile, wiping away the fallen tears.

"It all easy," Ally said simply. "Like Grandpa says."

Emma thought back to Henry's letter and what her daughter and Ruby had said. Everything was easy when you put your mind to it. Looking up, she saw Regina walking down the road, but the Mayor was purposefully looking ahead, ignoring the blondes on the bench. It was like a dagger in her heart.

"Yeah," Emma murmured absentmindedly as she watched her wife walk away. "We'll make it work, baby girl."

She didn't know how and she didn't know when, but Emma was determined to make it all work. She pressed her free hand on her belly, feeling the swell starting to grow. As she watched Regina walk away, she made a promise to herself. By the time the baby was born, she'd have her family back together, no matter how hard it was going to be or how long it was going to take.

 _A/N: A quick break from the cliff hangers…for now._


	48. Chapter 48

After making her promise to herself, Emma headed to Zelena's early. The Witch hadn't minded at all. In fact, she wasn't looking forward to all the cleaning, so she was grateful that Emma had turned up on her doorstep hours before the agreed time.

Emma had introduced her daughter to her Auntie Zelena which Ally still struggled to pronounce so Zelena had said she could call her "Auntie Zee," which the tot repeated happily. Once introductions had been made, Zelena revealed that she was rather happy that Emma had turned up when she had as she had been putting off cleaning all morning.

"I happen to know many a cleaning spell," Emma had chuckled and offered to help. She took Ally to the kitchen and conjured some paper and crayons to keep her distracted while she and Zelena got to work. She gave her a snack of carrot sticks and some apple juice too in case she got hungry.

They decided to do all the cleaning magically, but it still took time. Zelena concentrated on the living room, office and bathrooms, there were two, while Emma worked in the rooms that would become hers, Ally's and Henry's bedrooms. Finally, the magic books Regina had made her read about household tasks had come in useful!

She cleaned out the wardrobes and dusted the counters before making the beds. With a wave of her hand, she filled the wardrobe in her room with her clothes from the loft including the box where her baby blanket lived. She placed her engagement ring in the draw of the bedside table so that it would also be close to where she slept and she knew where it was should she need it quickly. Once she was done, she repeated the actions is Ally's room, ensuring that the bed was made and the wardrobe was full of suitable clothes. She had never been one for shopping and was glad she could fill it with magic.

The final room was Henry's, but she didn't fill it with many clothes as he spent most of his time with Regina and didn't need as many outfits with Emma. She frowned at the thought. She missed spending all of her free time with him like when they were in New York, whether it was just chatting as she cooked dinner or bonding over a video game. With a shake of her head to clear her mind on the past, she headed back to the kitchen where Zelena was sitting with a tray of tea ready.

"I think that's everything," Emma said as she sat down at the kitchen table beside her daughter and the redhead. "I still can't thank you enough."

"Don't be silly," Zelena replied as she poured the tea. "I want the company and to get to know my niece. Besides, you knew more household spells than I do." She chuckled as she passed a mug over to Emma who accepted it with thanks. "I thought we'd still be cleaning now if you hadn't known them. I got my monkeys to clean in the past."

Emma didn't know if she was joking but chose to chuckle in panic and not comment on it. She bit her lip before she asked her next question. She wanted someone's opinion on it, and she knew Blue would be better, but Zelena was here now.

"Do you know what the effects magic can have if you're pregnant?" She asked quietly. She tried to pose it as a curious thought, but she wasn't sure how successful she'd been.

Zelena tilted her head as she thought about it, not quite picking up the meaning behind Emma's question. "It depends what you're doing, I think," she answered after taking a sip of her tea. "The bigger the spell, the more it takes it out of you. The spells we've just done are pretty harmless, but I guess whatever spell we find to resurrect Maleficent is going to take a lot of force, that could be damaging and oh my god, you're pregnant!"

As the Witch thought about the question, it finally clicked why Emma was asking. Especially when the blonde had her hand unconsciously rested on her belly.

Emma nodded. "I'm 12 weeks gone," she admitted.

"And it's Regina's?" Zelena presumed, and well, hoped.

"Yeah, of course," Emma said quickly. "I got checked out the other day." She'd gone to the hospital two days ago to make sure that she was still pregnant while going through the portal. Whale had confirmed it, completely confused at how she was suddenly three months pregnant despite a week ago, she very much wasn't, but she swore him to secrecy. Well, she might have technically cursed him to secrecy, but that didn't matter. All that was important was that she was still pregnant. "Everything is going well despite going through the portal."

"Does Regina know?" Zelena asked quietly.

"Yes and no," Emma replied. She took a sip of her tea as she continued. She ran her fingers through Ally's hair who was still concentrating on her drawing, not listening to the conversation. "I left Henry a letter to give to her and according to the letter he left me, she knew." She sighed. "He thinks that's what made her curse the land to forget about me. She couldn't bear thinking about the baby without me there. So she knew it the past, but no, she doesn't know now. I can't tell her while she doesn't remember."

Zelena reached out and squeezed Emma's hand reassuringly. Already, she'd grown to care about the blonde in front of her despite it just being two days since they'd come to a truce themselves, unofficially. Adding to the fact that Emma was carrying another of her nieces or nephews, she knew she'd protect her with everything she had.

"I do have a question about it all…" Zelena began.

"Shoot," Emma encouraged with a smile.

"Why do you need Maleficent back?" She asked hesitantly. "I mean, I will help with that as much as I can. It just seems a little…" she trailed off as she couldn't think of the word.

"Backwords?" Emma predicted. "Or out of order?" Zelena nodded. Emma sighed. "I guess, but I want to be surrounded by the people I care about at the moment and I feel like, once Mal is back and Regina sees us together, she can't keep telling me I'm wrong. She'll have to listen to me. Am I making any sense?"

"We'll figure this all out," the Witch promised her with a reassuring smile. "We can look through some of mother's books after lunch and if we find anything, we'll invite the rest over and discuss."

Emma smiled her thanks. At the mention of Cora's books, Emma couldn't help the next question. "Did you read Cora's diaries?"

Zelena's smile faulted a little before she nodded. "Yeah, they were _something_." She shook her head. "It was good to read that she wanted me though. It puts things in a different perspective. Though I am kinda glad she didn't keep me after reading them, I must admit."

"Oh?" That wasn't quite what Emma thought she was going to say. "Why's that?"

"Could you imagine me being called Cassandra?" Zelena cackled and Emma couldn't help but laugh too. When she had read the diaries and found out what Cora wanted to name her daughter, it had amused her. "I'll stick with Zelena any day. It's more unique. More me."

The two continued to laugh which made Ally look up in confusion. Despite not knowing what was going on, she joined in their laughter as it was infectious. It was the first time since coming back that Emma had truly laughed and she loved every moment of it. The laughter finally dwindled down and they decided to make something to eat, a quick ham salad sandwich, before their afternoon of research.

It took a couple of hours and many books were flicked through before being abandoned in a deserted pile on the floor beneath them. Ally was in the living room watching a cartoon. She was still baffled by the TV, but she was getting used to it. Emma sat so she could keep an eye on her daughter while reading. However, as the clock stuck four, Emma finally found something useful.

"I've got something!" She cried and Zelena's head flicked up from the page she'd been reading.

"What?" Zelena asked, putting the book she was reading down immediately.

Emma turned her book to point out the paragraph. "There is a way to get around needing the original caster," Emma said, reminding Zelena of the spell Belle had found a few days ago where they needed Regina's help. "You can use blood magic and love magic instead. Obviously, there's your blood magic with Regina and my love. Surely this is how we do it?"

The blonde glanced up, looking hopeful at the Witch before her. Zelena scanned the page to read all the details before her grin slowly grew.

"Call Ruby," she said, "and the others. They need to see this!"

After a few phone calls were made, the others involved in Operation Phoenix turned up at Zelena's house. The only one missing was Henry, but Emma had to stick with the rules she and Regina had set up with his custody and it wasn't Emma's time with him until after dinner. As she thought about that, she sent her son a quick text telling him she was at Zelena's and not to go to his grandparents'. If he was confused, he didn't show it in his message, simply saying he'd tell Regina to drop him off there instead.

Once everyone was there, Ally had immediately run up to Hook, demanding him to pick her up, which he did. He sat at the table with the tot settled on his lap as Emma passed the book to Belle who scanned the page before pulling out the book with the spell she'd found. She linked the two together and looked up at the others who were looking at her in anticipation.

"I think it will work," she revealed with a smile. "I mean, there's nothing stronger than blood magic or love magic, and Emma, if you really are Regina's True Love, then it won't fail." She glanced back at the book and read a few more lines before looking back at the others. "The spell requires a full moon," she glanced nervously at Ruby who frowned.

"I guess that counts me out of being there," she grumbled. Despite having her cloak, she couldn't help the transformation on a full moon. She would still remember everything, which is why Granny didn't lock her up anymore, but she would still turn. Even if Ruby could remember everything in her wolf form, it wouldn't be ideal to have a wolf around when trying to resurrect Maleficent.

Emma went to comfort her friend but was surprised when Zelena reached out first and squeezed her hand. "You'll be with us in spirit," she murmured.

Ruby smiled at the Witch before looking back at the others. "So how will it happen?"

Belle glanced back at the book. "So we need to somehow have the light of the full moon shine on Maleficent's ashes," Belle revealed.

"That's going to be difficult," Emma murmured. "She's under the library, there's no way of getting natural light down there."

"Then we'll have to move the ashes," Zelena said. "It's a simple enough spell. We used it today when we cleaned the house."

"True," Emma said. They had used a spell to sweep up the dust on the floor and another to lift it to place into the bin. However, they naturally wouldn't be putting Maleficent's ashes into the bin, but they could pick them up the same way.

Belle looked at the others with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if she could continue. Emma motioned to her to continue making the librarian chuckle.

"We can find somewhere to do it, probably best by the docks where it's open," she said. "But we'll have to enclose the area so no wind can get to us. That could be disastrous."

Hook grinned at the idea. He'd yet to go back to the docks ad it was too painful to be there without seeing his ship as he'd had to trade it to get back to Emma in New York. Even though their relationship hadn't gone how he first wanted, he wouldn't change it for anything. All he needed now was to find Lina and have her remember and then everything would be perfect.

"We'll need a drop of Emma and Zelena's blood," Belle continued. "Then it's just a case of casting the spell, but it says the casters need to be as well rested as possible. It's going to take a whole lot of force."

At that, Emma's excitement faulted. After Zelena had said a spell of immense force could be damaging, she was hesitant.

Picking up Emma's mood, Ruby glanced at her. "What about the baby?" She asked.

"Baby?" Belle echoed.

Emma smiled. "I'm pregnant," she revealed and the librarian grinned.

"Congratulations!" She cried before realising why everyone was so sombre. "I'd have a word with Blue," she suggested which echoed Emma's thinking. "She'll know more of this than Rumple or Regina. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a way around it."

Emma nodded. "I'm hoping so because Mal needs to be back."

"We're getting there," Hook assured her as he reached out to squeeze her arm, making sure Ally didn't slip off his lap as his false hand didn't have much grip.

When they had fallen through the portal, the pirate's fake hand that Regina had given him had been replaced with his Hook once more. However, he found it was much more usual, not to mention much safer with Ally, to have his fake hand so he'd asked Emma for it back. Though the moniker of Hook would never disappear after carrying it for so long.

"Exactly," Belle said as she smiled supportively. "Go see Blue tomorrow and let us know what she says. If it's a no, we'll find something else. There will be a way to work around this."

Emma nodded and smiled at her friends. She loved them all dearly and couldn't believe they were helping her.

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Zelena stood up to answer it and saw her sister. Emma continued to talk to Hook before she heard her name mentioned.

"I heard Miss Swan was staying here," Regina was saying which made Emma pause her conversation.

Two minutes later, Zelena reappeared in the kitchen looking slightly tense.

"Regina wants to talk to you," she revealed.

Emma nodded and stood up. However, at the mention of her mother's name, Ally looked hopeful. "Mommy?"

"She needs to talk to Mama," Hook said, stepping in before Emma could say anything. "Mama will be right back."

"I want Mommy," Ally mumbled and Emma looked helpless.

"Go," Hook instructed kindly, "I've got her."

"Okay," Emma murmured before she left the room. She took a deep breath as she headed towards the door. After she'd stepped over the threshold, she shut the door behind her so that Ally wouldn't be able to hear her mother's voice and make her worse. Emma glanced round as she was expecting Henry to be in the car behind the Mayor, despite the earlier time, but it was empty. "Where's Henry?"

"He's still at home with Robin," Regina said and ignored how Emma shivered at the thief's name. "Why are you staying here with Zelena of all people?"

"She's letting me stay for a while," Emma replied. "It's difficult living with Mary Margaret at the moment."

Regina cocked her head to the side in confusion, that information was new. "Why?"

Emma shrugged. "She's named my brother Neal for one," Emma revealed.

"What else?" Regina asked. She had no idea why she was so compelled to know what had driven Emma out of living with her parents. She just knew that she was upset that Emma clearly wasn't happy at the moment. The thought both confused her.

"It doesn't matter," Emma muttered. "Why are you here?" Despite being thrilled at seeing her wife for the first time in a few days, she knew the visit wasn't for a good reason. She was apprehensive that she would reveal that she knew somehow that Emma had been in her vault, but she didn't.

"I was making sure it was still safe for Henry to be here," Regina said. "Not because of you, but because I don't trust Zelena."

"You should," Emma said quickly. "She's not the crazy bitch we first thought she was. She's actually really funny and kind. You should try to get to know your sister."

Regina opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what, so she shut it again. Emma couldn't help the chuckle she emitted at the sight. It wasn't usual for Regina to be lost for words.

Emma sighed. "Look, please don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to leave," she said and tried to ignore the way Regina looked affronted at her bluntness. "I know as far as you're concerned, Ally isn't your daughter, but she is and she's currently in there crying at the fact that her mother doesn't want to see her. She's devastated that you have no idea who she is and seeing you, or even hearing your voice, is killing her." Emma couldn't help herself as she reached out and tucked a loose strand of the brunette's hair behind her ear. Regina closed her eyes at the intimate touch. Emma realised what had happened and pulled her hand back quickly as if she'd been electrocuted. "I wish you could remember, but you don't." She sighed sadly. "Just make sure Henry is here for seven. I need to talk to him before he goes to bed."

And with that, Emma opened the door and stepped back over the threshold, leaving a very confused Regina behind.

oOoOo

The other members of Operation Phoenix left not much longer after Regina. There was nothing more they could really discuss until Emma had spoken to Blue. Plus, when Emma had walked back through the door, she looked like she needed space.

Wordlessly, she picked Ally out of Hook's arms and walked towards her bedroom. Ally was still sniffling a bit and she was very confused why she'd been taken away from her favourite pirate, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she allowed her mother to lie down and cuddle her close. She knew that her mother was crying and she didn't understand why, so she just rested her head against her mother's neck while she held her.

Zelena roused them a couple of hours later saying she was going to make some dinner and asked if Emma wanted to join her. The blonde nodded and got out of bed before heading to the kitchen with Ally on her hip.

She placed her daughter at the table, once more giving her some paper and crayons to draw with, before heading to the counter where Zelena was chopping up an onion.

"Need any help?" Emma offered.

"Sure," Zelena replied. "I'm making spaghetti, that okay?"

Emma nodded. "That sounds delicious."

The two stood in comfortable silence while they chopped the veg and chatted aimlessly while they ate. Despite everything being so new, things were already so easy between the two of them. They both chuckled as they watched Ally eat the food she'd never seen before. She was a little apprehensive when it was put down in front of her, but once she took her first bite, she adored it.

When the clock stuck seven, there was another knock on the door and Emma allowed Zelena to answer the door, just in case Regina had accompanied Henry. However, when she didn't hear her voice, she relaxed.

After a few seconds, Henry rushed into the living room where she, Ally and Zelena had settled after dinner.

"Ma!" He cried when she saw her.

"Hey, Kid," she greeted with a grin. She ruffled his hair fondly, but she frowned when he didn't smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied as he stepped back from his mother and to his sister. "Hi Ally! Remember me?"

"Henwy!" Ally called with a grin.

Henry leant down and picked up his sister and cuddled her close. "You're so cute."

She grinned at her brother's compliment and Emma watched the two with a fond smile. She'd always been a little apprehensive when she thought about the two meeting but so far, it seemed to be going smoothly. Henry pressed a soft kiss onto Ally's head before he sat her back down on her beanbag. He then sat beside his mother on the two-seater sofa.

Zelena headed back into the room. "I don't know what's wrong with my sister, but she didn't look happy in the car," she commented as she sat down on the arm chair in the corner.

Emma's brow furrowed. "Regina was here?"

"Dur," Henry stated. "How did you think I got here?"

Emma took in her son. His mood was all over the place. Something was bugging him and she wanted to know what.

"What's going on, Kid?" She asked again. "I know something is wrong, so don't lie to me."

Zelena leant forward. "Is it anything to do with why Regina looked so, I don't know, anxious?"

Anxious wasn't the word she was expecting. Furious or angry, maybe, she'd understand that. However, if Regina was anxious, then something was clearly going on and she it worried her. Despite the fact Regina didn't remember anything, Emma was still over her heels in love with the woman and she wanted her to be happy. Even if it meant she was with the thief…for now anyway.

"It was just tense over dinner," Henry revealed. "Robin said some stuff."

"That's usually how conversation works, Kid," Emma said softly.

Henry scowled at his mother before taking a deep breath. "Robin started talking about the future and then he comes out and says that he wants his own kids with Mom," he revealed. "He told me afterwards that he wants to marry her and have his own family. He said there's no place for me in his ideal future."


	49. Chapter 49

"He said what!?" Emma cried at the new revelation. She shot up out of her seat and raised her arms up high. " _You_ are Regina's family. Well at the moment until she remembers. How dare he!" She shot forward. "I'm gonna kill him!"

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled backwards by an invisible force and plonked back on the sofa. Looking up, she saw Zelena's outstretched hand.

"If you go in there all storms blazing, how is that going to help you win over Regina?" Zelena asked. Emma's mouth opened and shut a few times over as she thought of a comeback. She failed. "Exactly, it's not," Zelena answered her own question. "You've got to treat all of this carefully." She then looked at Henry. "Look, we both know that you mother isn't going to marry him or have his children, she's not ready for that. Now that Emma has revealed an alternate past between the two," Emma had filled Zelena in over what had happened in the past over the day, including Robin injuring Regina's father, "she's going to be very confused at the moment. She won't do anything that's going to change everything."

Henry furrowed his brown in confusion. "How do you know her so well?" He asked.

Zelena smiled. "She's a lot like me," she admitted with a shrug, "and that's what I would do in her situation."

"He deserves a zap for it though," Emma murmured making the others chuckle.

"Well I won't condone it if you do it sneakily when Regina isn't there," Zelena joked, "I'll even zap him myself."

"But I don't have magic to join in," Henry groaned. "Can I deck him instead?"

At this, both Emma and Zelena burst out laughing so loudly that Ally looked up from her blocks and joined in, despite not knowing what was going on.

Emma reached out and ruffled Henry's hair. "I'm afraid not, Kid." She then thought back to the day before when Henry had alerted her to get out of the vault. "Did you ever find out why your mother went to her vault yesterday?"

Henry glanced at his mother before shaking his head. "No, she was crazy tight lipped about it. She just said, "nothing for nosies" and walked into the living room to start the movie. She's been acting so odd since you disappeared and came back. I don't like it."

Emma sighed. "I'm sorry, Kid," she muttered sadly. She glanced over at Ally who now playing with the teddy Dragon and smiled wistfully at her daughter. "It can't be easy being told you have a daughter and a wife you don't remember."

"I guess," Henry surmised. "Can we watch a movie?"

Accepting the swerve in conversation, Emma nodded. She allowed Henry to pick the movie while Zelena got some snacks together and Emma put Ally to bed. For her first evening with Zelena, it was going a lot more smoothly than she anticipated and quite frankly, she was loving every minute.

oOoOo

As per Belle's suggestion, Emma headed to the convent the next morning in search of Blue. She rarely went to the church if she could help it; she'd never had a great experience with the more religious families growing up and had slowly backed away from religion. However, she shook her head to clear her thoughts as to not think about that time.

She entered the convent and headed down the corridor to where she remembered Blue's office to be. She knocked quietly until she heard the fairy's command to enter.

Slowly, she entered to the room and saw Mother Superior typing away at her computer. Emma suddenly had a flashback of being sent to the headteacher's office at school and told to enter while they finished off on their computer.

Ignoring her thoughts, she sat down at the opposite side of Blue's desk and waited patiently for her to finish. She didn't have to wait long. After a few more taps and a click of the mouse, Blue finally looked up.

"Good morning, Sheriff," she greeted with a smile. "Sorry about that, had an urgent email about the fayre coming up. How can I help you?"

Emma bit her lip nervously, unsure how to start. "I just want to know the limits of magic," she stated.

The fairy raised her eyebrow. "I hope you're not interested in dark magic?"

"No, not at all!" Emma said quickly. "Look, you cannot repeat what I'm about to tell you to anyone. _Especially_ not my mother, okay?"

"Emma, I'm a nun," Blue chuckled, "I can keep secrets."

The blonde smiled. "Oh yeah," she swallowed nervously. "I want to know the affects magic can have on pregnancy."

The nun's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Whatever she presumed Emma was going to say, it clearly wasn't that. However, she recovered quickly with many years of practice.

"Well it depends on the strength of the magic of the mother," she revealed.

She opened a draw in her desk before pulling out her wand. Emma couldn't help but raise her eyebrow at the fact the fairy trusted no one to steal it.

"It's sealed with blood magic," Blue revealed, answering Emma's silent question. She then stood up and walked towards Emma. "Can you stand for me?" Emma did so. Blue then motioned her wand slowly over Emma, scanning her. At first, her face was neutral, but the more she scanned, the more surprised she got.

"What?" Emma gasped, slightly frantically. "What's wrong?"

Blue shook her head. "Nothing," she replied quickly, trying to calm the blonde. "I've just never seen it before." She shook her head in disbelief once more. "Sit back down." Emma did so while Blue returned to her seat. "There are different factors of magic as I'm sure you know. The worst is dark magic as I know you're probably aware. There's also light magic with many levels in between that are a bit complicated and not necessary for this. The purest, and best, type of magic is the magic of True Love. Emma, your body, mind, soul and magic are all thriving of this."

"What does that mean?" Emma asked, not quite understanding.

Blue smiled reassuringly. "It means, that you are a pretty powerful woman, Emma. Your magic cannot be outdone. I wouldn't be surprised if even the Dark One couldn't get to you." Emma shuffled in her seat uncomfortably at the passing comment. Blue didn't seem to notice as she continued. "Not only were you born from True Love, but your magic was unlocked by your True Love. The baby you carry is no ordinary baby. Can I ask who the father is?"

"I'd rather not say at the moment," Emma asked quietly. "It's a bit complicated."

The fairy didn't argue, which Emma liked about her. The moral side of her came out quite often. "That's fair enough," she said instead. "As for the affects magic can have on pregnancy, for you, I don't think there will be. I would just say, if you're going to be casting any large spells that use a lot of force, make sure you're fully rested beforehand and it wouldn't be surprising if you passed out afterwards. It's nothing harmful, your body will just shut down to allow you to rest. You'll wake up a few hours later and it will be as if nothing has happened."

Unable to believe her ears, Emma had to ask, "Are you sure?"

Blue chuckled. "I'm positive. Just don't be casting too many powerful spells at once and if you're casting a curse, let me know so I can prepare my fellow fairies."

Emma smiled and stood up. "Thank you, Blue. I feel a lot better about it." She started heading to the door before turning back. "But please, don't tell Mary Margaret."

"I promise," Blue said, her eyes open and honest and Emma's lie detector didn't ping. "Now, go enjoy the sunshine." She then turned back to her computer.

At the dismissal, Emma left the room and headed back home.

oOoOo

Emma soon informed the others of Operation Phoenix about what Blue had said about the spell and the pregnancy meaning they could get started whenever the next full moon came. Fortunately, it was the in the next two weeks so everyone, apart from Ruby, was rather excited about it.

They kept meeting every few days to go over what needed to be done and who needed to be where. Ruby spent most of the meetings grumbling that she couldn't participate and again, it was Zelena who comforted her before Emma even had the chance. There was definitely the start of something there, but she didn't want to mention it in case it ruined anything.

It had quickly been decided that Hook would look after Ally. He'd jokingly said that he'd replaced Nanny Kala which Emma had to admit that he had. Though, she tried not to think about the Nanny as she hadn't seen her in Storybrooke, so she sadly imagined the worst for her fate.

Belle was going to be on hand to double check everything was going okay. Naturally Emma and Zelena were the ones casting the curse and Henry was on Regina and Robin duty to make sure they didn't happen to want to go for a wander to the docks that evening. Emma was pretty convinced that that would never happen; she knew Regina didn't like to get her hair knotted in the breeze.

However, there was a slight spanner in the works when Belle brought Rumple with her on their final meeting before they cast the curse. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, both Emma and Zelena were blocking his path.

"Killian, take Ally to the back room," Emma instructed. She lit a fireball in her hand. "I don't want her to see this."

The pirate did as he was told but he was back after a few moments as he didn't want to leave Emma's side.

To their surprise, Rumple held his hands up in surrender. "I come in peace, I swear!" He announced. Emma used her lie detector and was rather confused to find that he wasn't actually lying. Her detector was never faulty, so she quickly put out the fireball, but she didn't relax.

"What do you want, Rumple?" Zelena demanded as she was also not comfortable with him being in her house. Especially after the last time they met when he threatened to kill her, but he didn't. He'd simply threatened her that if she ever came near him again, he would kill her. However, as he had searched her out, clearly he wouldn't do so.

"Belle told me about what was going on. I wanted to offer my help and propose a truce," he revealed. He then glanced to Emma. "After our last battle, I wouldn't want to go up against you again."

Emma looked proud of herself. "Good." She paused for a moment and glanced at Zelena before looking back at the Dark One. "I'll allow a truce as long as you stay away from this operation and answer a question and how many are provoked afterwards."

Rumple nodded. "Okay."

Emma then walked back into the study where Operation Phoenix had been set up. She wanted everyone to be a witness, but she also wanted to sit down as she was rather tired at 12 weeks pregnant.

The Dark One motioned for Emma to ask away.

"Why did you make Regina cast the memory curse to forget about us?" She asked, not beating around the bush.

"I had to," he replied, once more honestly. "She would never have cast my curse and I no longer had any leverage over her with Alexandra Charlotte gone. I knew if she forgot about you, she'd be back to the Evil Queen that I needed for my curse. She was the Depressed Queen with you gone and that didn't work."

Emma bit her lip as she listened. "But Henry…"

"Was always going to be used," Rumple said, though he frowned. It turned out the imp could show emotion. "You know that the curse needed to be cast for you to go back and have Alexandra."

"You knew what the trigger was all along," Emma guessed. "Didn't you?"

"Yes, Dearie," Rumple replied. "I could see the future. A power that has been lost to me since I came here. The memory curse Regina placed on everyone can be broken with your True Love, you know that, don't you?"

Emma nodded but then frowned. "But she doesn't love me here."

"Don't doubt it, Dearie," Rumple said simply. "True Love can defeat anything." He then stood up and started walking to the door. "That's all I came to say. Zelena, truce?"

Zelena raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. "For now," she said. "One step over the line though, Rumple, and it's revoked."

Rumpled nodded before surprising everyone and turned to the Pirate. "For the sake of our friends and loved ones," he began, but swallowed and stuttered over his next words, speaking them as if it pained him, "I ought to extend a truce to you too, pirate."

Killian raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I will happily, if you refer to me by my name," he offered.

Rumple physically shuddered and glanced at Belle. She nodded encouragingly. The Dark One turned back to the pirate, the latter was grinning as he was enjoying every moment of this.

With a deep breath, Rumple said, "Killian Jones, will you accept my truce?"

Killian paused, smiling with mirth, making the Dark One sweat a little before finally relenting. "Yes." He held out his real hand and the two shook, one curt shake, before releasing as if they'd be burnt.

Rumple then turned to Emma. "Miss Swan?"

"Deal," Emma said, also unable to hide the smirk after witnessing Rumple and Killian's exchange. "You know my consequences but here are the final two. Stay away from Alexandra and do not get in the way of my breaking Regina's curse. Okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Rumple said before he smiled at Belle and headed out of the house.

Once the door shut behind him, Emma turned to the rest of them. "Did that really just happen or am I dreaming?"

Belle chuckled. "He's trying to be good," she revealed. "I told him the first steps were making peace with the three of you, especially now we're all friends. It could get awkward if you didn't get on with my husband."

Emma laughed too. "I'm fine with him as long as he sticks to my rules and doesn't try to kill me again."

Henry, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke up. "It looks my family tapestry is weaving itself back together rather easily. We just need you and Mom back together now and it'll be complete."

Emma smiled at her son and kissed his forehead. "We're getting there, Kid."

oOoOo

A couple of days later, the day before they were due to bring back Maleficent, Emma had swapped swifts with her father so that she and Zelena could rest. However, the two decided to go to lunch before they rested all afternoon watching TV. The two headed to Granny's when they hoped the lunch time rush would be finishing, though the diner was still thriving as always. There were only a couple of tables free.

As they walked in, Ruby greeted them, heading over straight away with two normal menus and a kid's menu for Ally that included some crayons which Ally unwrapped immediately. She'd barely placed them down when the customer from the next table was interrupting them.

"Excuse me, we were here before them, where are our menus?" He demanded.

Looking up, Emma saw Robin was sat with Roland.

Without even hesitating, Ruby continued to Robin's table with another two menus.

"I was on my way when I saw them and killed two birds with one stone," she said defensively. "Let me know when you want to order."

Robin glanced down at the menu for thirty seconds before closing it and standing up. "Actually, I don't want anything, nothing here is nutritional for my son."

Emma's mouth dropped in shock. "What is your problem?" She asked, unable to stop herself. She felt Zelena's hand gently rest on hers, a subtle reminder not to go too far but allowing her to continue for now. "Ruby hasn't done anything wrong."

"I changed my mind," Robin huffed. "Come on, Roland."

Confused, the little boy slipped out of his seat and walked to his father. "Papa, what's going on?" He asked quietly.

"We're going to go to Regina's for lunch instead," Robin said.

At that, Emma snapped. "You're going to make her cook for you?" She questioned. "Just because you had to wait a few minutes for a menu? The place is busy and she's the only one working. Regina is working, she's also busy. Just man up!"

Robin stepped forward until he was close to the blonde. "Do not tell me what to do!" He commanded, but Emma didn't shrink back, she kept her height. She wasn't scared of him. "And do not come near Regina. She's mine. Get it?"

Emma lost it at that comment. Despite her daughter sitting so close, she swung her arm back and punched him square in the jaw.

Robin's face turned a deep red, almost purple, in anger. Just as he pulled his arm back to retaliate, he was surrounded by a cloud of green smoke and he and Roland were transported out of the diner.

Emma flopped back into her chair. "I'm sorry," she murmured quietly to Zelena. "I didn't mean for that to get so out of hand." She glanced at her slowly bruising fist. "But god that felt good."

She flexed her fingers and hissed at the pain and automatically, Zelena rested her palm lightly against Emma's knuckled and healed them.

"Thank you," Emma said.

Zelena squeezed her hand supportively. "You're welcome." She glanced up to Ruby. "Are you okay?"

The waitress nodded and smiled before sighing. "He's not the first one to complain. I wish I could have punched him so thank you. I just don't know who he thinks he is, demanding for stuff. Surely Regina doesn't cook for him every day when he commands her to?"

"Are you kidding?" Emma chuckled. "She'd singe his balls off."

"Mama, I'm hungy," Ally announcing, cutting off the conversation about Robin.

"Sorry, honey," Emma said, going straight into mother mode and was instantly glad that Ally didn't seem to have seen her mother's actions as she coloured in her picture. Emma glanced down at the menu quickly before looking up at Ruby. "Can we have the nuggets and carrots sticks for this one with an apple juice and a turkey burger with fries for me with a soda?"

Ruby noted them down. "Coming up. Zee, what would you like?"

Zelena glanced at the menu before looking back at Ruby. "I'll have a BBQ chicken panini please with apple juice as well please."

"Got cha," Ruby replied, noting Zelena's order down too before heading to the back.

Once she was gone, Emma turned to Zelena while running her hands through Ally's hair as she coloured in the menu. "Well that's a way to start our day of relaxation."

Despite Emma's words, that was the only slightly chaotic thing to happen. She'd half expected Regina to come banging down their door at their treatment of Robin as he would have told Regina about the green smoke, alerting the Mayor to her sister's antics. However, she never showed. Instead, Emma and Zelena headed back to their house and for the rest of the evening and most of the next day, Emma introduced the Wicked Witch of the West to FRIENDS, something Emma never expected to do, well, ever.

oOoOo

Finally, it was time for the resurrection.

"We can always try again next month," Zelena said as they walked up to the docks. They'd collected Maleficent's ashes the day before as the witch had required a short break from the sitcom.

"I guess," Emma replied. "But I just want this to go smoothly."

Belle had said the true full moon only lasted for a couple of seconds, but the spell book she had found advised that it had to be done on the first night a full moon showed so they only had that night until the next lunar cycle to try.

As they reached the chosen spot, they saw Belle already waiting.

"Hey guys," she greeted with a smile. "How are we feeling?"

"Good," Emma replied as she started stretching her arms and shaking them out, getting into the zone. "I just want this to work."

"I'm sure it will," Belle said, ever the optimist. "Rumple marked the area earlier so that it was windproof. I know you didn't want him to help, but he insisted."

Emma raised her eyebrow and glanced at Zelena who shrugged. She put her finger to the air and realised there was no breeze.

"Thank him for us," Emma said instead of arguing.

Belle nodded and smiled. "Ready?"

"Ready," Emma and Zelena confirmed.

Then it was time.

Emma walked forward and emptied the canister they'd filled with Mal's ashes. She and Zelena then magically cut a small gash onto their palms and allowed three drops of blood to land on the ashes before resealing the cut. After a quick glance of reassurance between the two, they both held both hands outstretched over the ashes and chanted in the incantation.

Within seconds, a large beam of bright white light shot out of their palms, so bright Belle had to look away. The ashes shot up and started to swirl around, combining with the light. The ashes started to grow and join with other particles as they got bigger and bigger.

Slowly, Emma realised that the particles were forming together to create a dragon. She was half terrified that Mal would be stuck in her dragon form forever. However, as soon as the dragon form materialised, she breathed a small flame before a black cloud covered her body. It swirled around and got smaller, lowering to the ground, until at last, where the once stood a dragon, stood a very familiar person.

Maleficent stepped out of the darkness, fittingly wearing her signature black horns and a slim fitting black outfit. She grinned. "It's good to be back."


	50. Chapter 50

Overcome with emotion, Emma went to step forward and greet her friend when the power of the spell truly hit her. She blacked out and started falling to the floor. Luckily, Zelena was prepared and caught her before she hit the ground.

"We need to get her home," Zelena instructed to the others.

Belle and Mal nodded, rushing forward to help the Witch with Emma's weight. Once equally supported, Zelena flicked her wrist and transported them back to the house, straight into Emma's room. With another flick of her wrist, Zelena ensured that Emma was lying in bed comfortably before looking at the new blonde.

"Introductions need to be made," she realised. "I'm Zelena and this is Belle."

"Maleficent," the dragon replied without looking away from Emma. "Why did she pass out? Did she try the spell alone?"

Zelena shook her head. "I helped, but Emma's in a different state to me." When the dragon still didn't look up, Zelena revealed what she hoped Maleficent would already know. "You know, because of the baby."

The dragon's head snapped to the side, finally looking at Zelena. "You know?" She asked.

She knew how private Emma was about it. In actual fact, Emma had never officially told her about the pregnancy. The dragon had had an inkling with her behaviour, but she'd never gotten a straight answer out of her. It was only after she left that Regina revealed that Emma was pregnant after reading it in the letter. As happy as she was for them, she was a little bit hurt that Emma hadn't told her. Then again, there was a lot running through her mind at that point. However, as Mal thought about it, another through shot through her head as she looked at the redhead before her.

"Wait, _the_ Zelena?" She clarified. "The one who cursed Emma of her magic and tried to kill Regina? _That_ Zelena?"

Sensing the tension, Belle stepped between the two. "Zelena is redeeming herself," the librarian said quickly. "She's helped Emma get you back and she's letting her stay here. She's a friend, not a foe now."

Maleficent still looked like she didn't fully trust her but accepted it. She glanced back at Emma, reaching out to brush away a loose strand of hair away from her face.

"How long will she be out?" She asked quietly.

"A couple of hours Blue said," Belle replied, glad that the dragon had calmed down a little. She hadn't known what to expect from her. Rumple hadn't had much to say on her as they hadn't really dealt with each other in the past.

Mal nodded. "Where's Alexandra?" She missed the little blonde almost as much as she missed Emma after they'd disappeared. She and Henry had spoken about the two after they'd left, but it definitely wasn't the same.

"She's with Killian," Zelena said before glancing at Belle. "Actually, we should let everyone know that we succeeded."

Belle nodded and got her phone out to text Ruby, Henry and Hook who had recently been gifted a phone by Emma. Though he didn't really have a clue how to work it.

"We had a team of people working on getting you back," Zelena explained when the dragon looked confused. "Emma needed you, apparently, to help get Regina's memory back."

"She still doesn't remember?" Mal asked. She'd been angry when Regina had cast the memory curse but was grateful that Emma had given her something to help her remember. She'd been so confused when Emma had charged into the cave under the library many years later and started fighting her. As she realised that Emma had no idea who she was yet, she had no choice than to try and fight back. She was just relieved to be back in a time when Emma would remember her.

Zelena shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"Right, let's get some drinks. You need to tell me everything," Mal instructed and for once, Zelena did as she was told, leading the way into the kitchen.

The three sat around the kitchen table and Zelena and Belle brought Maleficent up to scratch with what had happened in the last few years and especially in the last couple of weeks. She wasn't surprised to hear that Regina was struggling with the overload of new information, anyone would be.

"She's not stupid though," Mal murmured over her tea. "She's got a strong gut instinct, it should be kicking in by now. There should be warning bells ringing in her head. I reckon it's this Robin guy, he's interfering with it."

"How though?" Belle asked. "He's ordinary."

"Regina loves him by the sounds of it, currently anyway," Mal replied. "She gets a bit lost when she's in love, not True Love. She doesn't think straight. When she was with Emma, she was her best self. She was still a hundred percent Regina with the strength of Emma's love on top. It was a force to be reckoned with." She smiled wistfully as she remembered watching it all unravel.

There was a knock on the door and Zelena excused herself to answer it. A few seconds later, she was followed back into the kitchen by Hook who was carrying Ally.

As soon as the toddler saw her favourite dragon, she screamed with delight. "Mally!"

"Ally!" Mal called back. She shot out of her chair and pulled the tot out of Hook's arms and embraced her tightly. "I have missed you so much!" She pressed a kiss to her head.

Ally cocked her head to the side. "I seed you two weeks ago?"

Mal chuckled. "Saw," she corrected out of habit. "It's a bit complicated but I've not seen you in thirty years!"

"Like Mommy?" Ally asked surprising the others in the room.

"Emma tried to explain why Regina couldn't remember her," Hook explained whenever everyone was shocked to hear what the little girl had said. Emma had told him of her attempt to explain everything the tot. It seemed she understood some of what was going on.

"Something like that," Mal replied. She went to reply when they heard a soft groaning noise coming from Emma's room, indicating that the blonde was starting to stir. "Take Ally for me," Mal asked Hook, placing the tot into his arms. She whined at being given back but Mal bopped her nose to make her laugh. "I'll be back soon, promise."

"Mmkay!" Ally said as she leant into Hook's neck.

Mal then left the room and headed back into Emma's bedroom where the blonde was still groaning as she came to. The dragon perched on the side of the bed and waited for her to wake up fully before she said anything. She didn't want to frighten her and cause her body any more stress than the spell had caused.

After a few more moments, Emma's eyes slowly fluttered opened, taking in the person in front of her.

"Hi stranger," Mal greeted with a smile.

However, Emma's reaction was not what she expected.

"Oh my god, I must be dead," she croaked in exhaustion.

Mal chuckled quietly. "You're not dead, Em. I'm definitely here."

Emma blinked slowly, allowing the dragon to come into focus properly. "It worked?" She asked, her voice still a little croaky.

The dragon flicked her wrist and conjured a small glass of water. Emma sat up in bed and accepted the water before taking a few sips.

"It worked," Mal confirmed. "I'm definitely back." She then reached out and poked Emma's arm causing her to wince in pain.

"What was that for?" She whined.

"For turning me to ash," Mal replied with a chuckle. "Never stab a dragon in the chest when they're getting ready to breathe fire. Haven't you read any dragon books?"

Emma blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't know who you were then and I was doing what I _thought_ was going to save my son, but no, it was to help Rumple." She rolled her eyes. "But that doesn't matter. Tell me everything that happened after I left." Despite reading the book and Henry's letter, Emma wanted to hear it from Mal's point of view.

"Tomorrow," Mal said. "Tonight is for resting. You shouldn't have been emitting so much power while pregnant. You could have done some damage!"

"Blue said it would be fine," Emma replied defensively, holding her arms up in surrender before she realised what the dragon had actually said. "Wait, how do you know about the baby?" She brought her arms down and rested them lightly over her belly.

"Regina told me," Mal revealed, "seeing as _you_ didn't."

Emma blushed again. "I wanted to, but I didn't want Regina to overhear and if the guards heard, they'd have blabbed. She'd never have let us get married if she knew." She sighed. "And now I'm twelve weeks pregnant and my wife has no idea and I can't tell her."

"We'll figure it all out," Mal assured her. She squeezed the blonde's hand. "Besides, even after the curse, she still wore your engagement ring around her neck. I asked her about it and she said that her father gave it to her, that there was something special about it and she should always wear it. She said she felt a connection to it, as if there was something else to do with it than it just being from her father. I didn't push her on it though because I didn't want her to get suspicious. So there is something there, you've just got to persevere. Now I'm back, I'll talk to her. I'll be your inside man. I'll team up with Henry." She grinned. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Emma smiled back. "He's looking forward to meeting you, but he's on Regina watch tonight so that she didn't accidentally interrupt." Slowly, Emma started to get out of bed and allowed Mal to help her. "For now, I want some cuddles with my daughter and to watch a film with some popcorn."

Despite not understanding half of what Emma said, Mal followed her back to the kitchen where Emma introduced the dragon to the wonderful world of popcorn and television. Belle had headed back home to tell Rumple it was successful and Hook and Mal hugged in greeting now the two had their arms free of the toddler who was happily cuddling her mother.

The dysfunctional family then settled in front of the TV to watch a film with the toddler fast asleep across Emma and Mal's lap as she refused to go to bed and they didn't have the heart to move her.

As Mal didn't have anywhere to stay for now, she shared with Emma until she could find somewhere to live. The two were close enough to accept it.

The next morning, Emma introduced Mal to the modern world of bathrooms, kitchens and jeans. She let the dragon borrow a pair of jeans as they were a similar size and a t-shirt, advising that she would fit in better wearing that. Mal also ditched her horns and let her hair hang loose around her shoulders to frame her face. With a light touch of makeup, she was good to go.

Emma dressed similarly and let Ally pick her outfit. She asked for jeans too with a light pink t-shirt with daisies on. She looked adorable.

Once dressed, the three headed to the kitchen and Emma made them all a late breakfast of toast with raspberry jam, Ally's favourite, with tea for the adults and some apple juice for Alexandra. Zelena also joined but enjoyed a bowl of porridge with fresh green apples instead.

"What's the plan for today?" Emma asked after a bite of her toast.

"Oh this and that," Zelena replied cryptically. Emma wasn't actually sure what she did now that she wasn't terrorising Regina at every moment of the day or holding Rumple hostage. Though the blonde hadn't gotten the nerve to ask yet. "What you about you?"

"We're going to show Mal around Storybrooke, aren't we honey?" Emma said to Ally who looked up from her breakfast where she'd already managed to get jam all over her face in the thirty seconds that she'd had her food.

"Yep!" She agreed before going back to her toast.

"What if you run into," Zelena trailed off and she glanced at Ally who was engrossed in her toast, "you know who?"

"We shouldn't," Emma said simply. "It's Wednesday morning. She'll be working. We'll make sure not to be in the centre around lunch time. It'll be fine."

Zelena didn't look too convinced. "Well if anything happens and she turns up, just poof Ally to me and I'll look after her."

Emma smiled at her friend gratefully. "Thanks."

With that settled, the trio went quiet to eat their breakfasts.

oOoOo

"So this is the docks, obviously," Emma said as she pointed to the ships. She had decided to poof the three of them to the far edge of the town to start the tour. She also wanted the quiet space so no one over heard what they would be discussing.

"It's umm, quaint?" Mal replied as she struggled to find the word.

Emma chuckled. "You get used to it." The three walked along for a few steps before Emma turned to Mal. "So what happened?"

The dragon didn't need any more information. She sighed as she looked out to the horizon before the two started walking aimlessly with Ally running along ahead.

"It was unimaginable really," Mal began. "Regina locked herself in her room for days. She wouldn't let any one in, not even her father. I tried to magically enter but she blocked me. She was hysterical. After a few days, she came round and allowed us in but she just cried.

"Rumple came to see her about two weeks after you left and told her about the curse. She told him she didn't want to cast it but then he started telling her about the memory curse. I get it, it sounded ideal. She would forget about you and no longer hurt and when you broke it, she would get all her memories back." Mal sighed as she turned to look at the other blonde. "I just don't think she anticipated that it would be more difficult for you to break the curse with her not knowing about what had happened. I thought about using a dream catcher, but it won't work. She doesn't remember so I can't make her remember. I doubt she'd let you try at the moment."

Emma shook her head. "She doesn't particularly like me here," she muttered and bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. "It just hurts seeing that spark missing from her eyes when she looks at me or Ally. I miss her so much. I mean, she's right there but she's…oh my god, she's right there."

With the deep conversation, Emma hadn't noticed that their aimless walking had led them to the centre of town until they were standing opposite the Town Hall. Emma's favourite pair of chocolate brown eyes were starting at them from across the road, Regina's mouth wide open as she took in the newly resurrected dragon.

Remembering Zelena's words from that morning, Emma quickly crouched in front of her daughter. "Honey, listed to me, I need to send you to Auntie Zelena, okay?" She warned.

"Why?" Ally asked. "I wanna stay with you and Mally."

Emma leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Ally's head, fortunate that her daughter hadn't seen Regina yet. "I'll explain later. I promise."

Ally still looked disbelieving but slowly nodded. "Okay."

With a breath of relief, Emma waved her hand over her daughter and Ally disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Seconds later, Emma felt her phone buzz in her pocket, a message from Zelena confirming that she had Ally.

When Emma looked up, she saw Regina making her way over to them, her facial expression unreadable. Finally, when she was in touching distance, she threw her arms around Maleficent and hugged her tightly.

"I have missed you so much!" She gasped. "I am so sorry for what happened."

Mal pulled back and simply smiled. "I get why you did it, I don't blame you," she replied kindly. "I'm back now anyway, so it's forgotten."

"But how?" Regina asked.

Emma took a step back, not wanting to get between the two. "I should leave, let you two catch up."

"Em," Mal said softly.

"How do you two know each other?" Regina asked, her eyes flicking between the two. "I don't understand?"

"Sure, you do," Emma replied quietly, not wanting to frighten or confuse the woman before her. "We met when I was in the past, but I won't bombard you with fact you don't remember. I don't want to anger you." She glanced at Mal. "I'll head off and check on Ally. Let me know if you're coming back later and I'll cook dinner." She looked back at her wife who still looked very confused. "Regina." She nodded curtly, though she wanted nothing more than to pull her into her arms and hold her, but she couldn't. Instead, she took a step back and flicked her wrist.

Regina and Mal watched her go, neither really knowing what to do. Mal wanted to help her and thought the best way was to get a conversation going between the two of them but she didn't know how to get it started. Regina just had an inkling inside her that was upset that Emma was sad again and she didn't like it.

Shaking it off, Regina looked at her friend. "Would you like to come up to my office for a drink? We can catch up."

Mal nodded. "I'd love to."

The two made their way up to Regina's office and Mal glanced around. "It's a lot brighter than your castle," she commented.

Regina chuckled. "Barely."

"A lot of white though," the dragon teased making Regina roll her eyes.

The Mayor led her friend to the sofa in front of the fire place. She waved her hand and a decanter of her famous cider appeared along with two glasses.

"Gina, it's barely noon," Mal laughed. "It's good to see you're still the same."

Regina smiled and held up a glass for Mal to take. "To old friends," she toasted.

"And burying the hatchet," Mal added. They clinked their glasses together before taking a sip.

There was a slight dip in the conversation until Regina asked the inevitable. "So how _are_ you back? Not that I'm complaining. I've been needing a familiar friendly face for the past week or so."

"Emma knew that if there was one way of helping you remember, it would be with my help," Mal replied after taking another sip. Emma and Zelena had filled the dragon while watching the film the night before. "Apparently with a few drops of Zelena and Emma's blood in the moonlight of a full moon and some enchantment or another, you can resurrect a dragon from a pile of ash."

"Why their blood?" Regina asked, her glass raised halfway to her lips.

Mal raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to know?" She countered.

Regina sighed. "Just tell me."

The dragon placed her glass down on the table and looked at Regina.

"The spell ideally needed you," she revealed. "You were the person who trapped me down there, no don't apologise again, it's fine," Mal said hurriedly when it looked like Regina was about to interrupt. "But Emma didn't want to get you involved so they had to find a way around it. Zelena was used as your sister, yes I know," she added when again, Regina went to interrupt. "But as Cora's blood runs through both of you, she was perfect. Then as for Emma…" she trailed off as she tried to word it correctly. "The spell required two forms of blood. Familial and love." She paused, expecting Regina to interrupt again, however this time, she remained silent. "The type of love to be exact is True Love," she was practically whispering now as she was apprehensive of Regina's reply. "The two together can be used to replicate the presence of the caster. Zelena as your sister and Emma as your True Love."

"But it can't be," Regina whispered, not wanting to say the words properly and admit it all out loud. "Robin is my soulmate, surely that means he's my True Love?"

Mal shook her head. "Not always," she replied. "There's a connection between you and Emma, I know you feel it. I'm not stupid. I was around the two of you long enough to know and even the two minutes of being with you then, I could feel it." She sighed. "Emma isn't lying about you being together in the past. I would show you my memories in a dream catcher, but I know you wouldn't accept them, I know you too well. But trust me, Gina, I'd never lie to you, especially not about something as important as this. Look, even if I didn't want you to be with Emma, this Robin is definitely not the right person for you either from what I've heard."

Regina bit her lip and she took in Mal's words. She knew her best friend would never lie to her, she'd never had a reason to. She'd always thrived on the fact that the two of them could always be one hundred percent honest with each other. Perhaps it was time that Regina was honest with herself at the same time.

"You're right," she whispered. "I do have feelings for Emma. I'm just so scared that everything you've both said is correct and the life I've built here will come tumbling down." She bit her lip nervously. "I have Robin, Roland and Henry to think about and because of them," she swallowed and shut her eyes, as if thinking if she couldn't see Mal's reaction, she wouldn't react, "I can't allow myself to fall in love with Emma Swan."

 _A/N: I know it comes across as Regina is being slow, but bear with me, please! Also, if you hate me for this cliff hanger, just wait until the next chapter *wink. Love, Emss x_


	51. Chapter 51

All throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, Emma was completely distracted. She'd poofed back home to Zelena's farm house and saw her new friend and daughter watching cartoons on the TV. Ally didn't look at all upset that she'd been banished, but Emma wasn't sure if Ally had actually seen Regina before she sent her away.

With the two preoccupied, Emma got on with some household chores that she'd been avoiding. Sure, she could use magic, but right now, she wanted to keep herself busy and not think about the fact that Mal and Regina were sat together, most likely talking about everything that had happened recently, with Mal trying to get Regina to remember.

No, she didn't want to think of that right now.

Instead, she collected hers and Ally's dirty clothes and bedding and started fill the washing machine, but she wasn't thinking straight. Despite splitting the clothes into different colour piles, she still managed to get a few of Ally's pink tops into her white and cream wash, sending her bedding into a pink patchwork that looked ridiculous. She tried to save it by hand, but she couldn't. In the end, she just had to use a spell to syphon off the dye.

During the washing mishaps, she also tried to make lunch for everyone, deciding on something simple, baked beans on toast. She popped the bread under the grill and the beans in a pan, but during the debacle with the washing, she forgot all about them until the smoke alarm started to blare indicating that everything was burning. She had forgotten to turn the bread over and stir the beans. Both were unsalvageable.

However, as the smoke detector started to shriek, Zelena finally realised that something was clearly going on. She hadn't wanted to interrupt when Emma first got home because she could see she needed to be alone. But with her house in potential danger, she knew she had to jump in.

Rushing into the kitchen, leaving Ally to watch cartoons, the Witch saw the smoke and waved her hand, turning on the extractor fan and blasting open the patio doors to allow the smoke to escape. With the smoke clearing, she saw Emma was trying to salvage the beans by stirring them frantically, but it was to no avail.

"Emma, put the spoon down," Zelena instructed kindly. "Just take a step back. I'll finish lunch and you can go sit with Ally."

"I'm fine," Emma insisted, ignoring Zelena's words and continued to stir the beans.

Zelena placed her hand gently over Emma's. "You're not," she murmured quietly. "I won't ask what's going on, I'll let you tell me when you're ready. But for now, go sit with your daughter and I'll take over food. Please."

The Witch never raised her voice and that was how it got through to the blonde. With a sigh, she accepted defeat and took a step back from the stove before heading into the living room. She sat beside her daughter who automatically moved to sit on her mother's lap while they waited for Zelena to call them to lunch.

About fifteen minutes later, the call came, and the two blondes headed into the kitchen. The room was completely transformed with no indication that there had ever been a problem. The table was set with their lunch of what looked like a traditional English breakfast with bacon, beans, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes.

"I'd have added sausages too, but we didn't have any in," Zelena commented as the three sat down.

Emma shook her head. "No, this is enough, thank you." She took her first bit and couldn't help the smile. "You really can cook."

"Yummy!" Ally joined in making the Witch smile.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Zelena said before they all paused conversation to eat.

Once finished, Ally was allowed to go back to watching cartoons and Emma insisted on cleaning up. Again, she did it manually instead of by magic which was normal in that household.

Silently, Zelena picked up a dish towel and began drying the pots that Emma had washed. This also wasn't the norm as she was a fan of magic over manual labour. However, as soon as she did it, Emma realised why. She was hoping she would tell her what was going on.

With a sigh, Emma realised she couldn't keep it in any longer.

"We bumped into Regina," she murmured quietly. "Well, she was across the road which is when I sent Ally home. Mal is still with her and I don't want to let myself think about what they're discussing. It's Mal, she has a way with words. Regina will either come running here wanting to know the truth from me or she'll run further away and I don't want that." She washed the final plate and turned away to dry her hands on another towel. "I want my wife to remember everything and remember that she loves me." She turned back to Zelena, a sole tear falling down her face. "But she doesn't, and I have to watch her with a man who doesn't treat her kid right so how's he going to treat her right?"

Zelena was lost for words, which was rare. This was something she'd never experienced and didn't know what to say to make it better. She hated to sound like Snow White but all she could muster was a hope speech.

"It will work out," she murmured. "It's like Rumple said, True Love can defeat anything. The two of you have a pull, I saw it before you went to the past. There's an energy between the two of you that you can't fight. She knows it as well as you do but she's scared of change." The two walked over the kitchen table and Zelena conjured up a pot of tea. "You know her better than anyone. She will come around eventually."

Emma sighed before taking a sip of her tea. "I hope so."

oOoOo

Maleficent came back to the farm house well into the afternoon. Emma didn't bombard her with questions as she predicted, in fact Emma didn't seem to be in the house. Upon asking Zelena, she found out that the blonde had exhausted herself during the day and was taking a well-deserved nap.

"I don't blame her," Mal said quietly as she took a seat beside Ally, but the tot was too focussed on the TV to join in the conversation.

"How was it with my sister?" Zelena asked quietly, keeping the noise level down so that it wouldn't wake Emma or distract Ally.

"For the most part, it was good," Mal replied. "We had a lot to talk about and get off our chests. The last few months in the Enchanted Forest were very heavy between us which is why she trapped me under the library." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "She's always been one for drama."

Zelena chuckled. "Yes, we do have a flair for it." She then sobered. "Did you mention the Emma situation with her?"

Mal nodded. She glanced to Ally, making sure that she wasn't listening, but in doing so, they hadn't realised that Emma had woken up from her nap and was making her way to the living room.

"We have a problem," Mal revealed. "The good thing is that Regina has admitted that even without her memories, she does have feelings for Emma, strong ones by the looks of it, but she refuses to let them develop. As far as she's concerned, she has her family in Robin, his son and Henry. She won't let herself accept what Emma and we say, she refuses to let herself fall in love with her."

They then heard the front door slam that echoed around the house.

"Shit," Mal cussed. "She must have heard me. Stay with Ally."

The dragon the rushed out of the door to try and find see if Emma was still there but she couldn't see her blonde hair anywhere. She realised she must have transported herself once she was outside.

Frantic, she tried to think where she could be, but she didn't know Storybrooke like she knew Regina's castle. However, she knew where she would be if she could find it. In a library. Yes, she had spent many years there, but she had been underneath and had never seen if from the outside, but that was all she could work with. Shutting her eyes, she hoped for the best and flicked her wrist.

When she opened her eyes, she saw she was stood in the centre of town. Looking around, she tried to see something that resembled a library but there were just buildings after buildings. She walked down the street until she saw someone she recognised.

"Belle!" She cried as she saw the small brunette leaving a building on the left. "I'm looking for the library, do you know where it is?"

Belle nodded and pointed to the door behind her. "It's just here but it's shut for the day, I'm afraid."

"I need to go in, Emma's in there," Mal said. "I know you know she's in there. She'll have requested no visitors, but please."

The librarian bit her lip. Mal was right, Emma had just arrived and requested her friend not to let anyone in.

"Please," Mal repeated calmly. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to."

Reluctantly, Belle unlocked the door and allowed her to go in. "Just make sure it's locked before you leave."

Mal nodded. "Thank you."

Without turning, back she walked further into the library in search of her favourite blonde. She wasn't difficult to find. Emma was sat in the far corner with her arms wrapped around her legs, sobbing.

"Oh, Em," Mal said softly as she rushed over. She wrapped her arms tightly around her and held her. "I'm sorry you heard that. I was going to tell you."

"She doesn't love me," Emma sobbed, not looking up from her hiding place. "She'll never love me again. I'm carrying her child who'll never get to meet their mother because I've failed."

"You haven't failed," Mal reassured her, squeezing her arm. "It was never going to be straight forward. You heard what I said though, she does have feelings for you."

"She won't let them grow though," Emma sniffled as she tried to stop herself from crying. Finally, she leant up and wiped her eyes, before leaning into Mal's embrace. "You know what she's like. She's so stubborn and set in her ways. If she says she won't fall in love with me, then she won't."

The two were quiet for a few moments as they thought about it.

"I'm pretty sure she already is," Mal murmured quietly. "Even without her memories. She asked me if we'd ever been together."

Emma's head shot to the side. "What?" She cried before laughing. "That ridiculous."

"That's what I told her," Mal confirmed, chuckling herself. "But you should have seen her. Her eyes were green with envy at the very thought that we were together."

"That's hilarious," Emma said, unable to hide the laugh before becoming serious once more. "What else did you talk about, aside from that absurdity?"

"Mainly how we fell out in the end," Mal said. "I mean, it was hard because it was mostly because she couldn't remember but I tried not to mention that. I think we're okay though. She's invited me to dinner in the next week so it's promising."

At the mention of dinner, Emma perked up. "Henry's meant to be coming over tonight," she revealed. She glanced down at her watch. "In fact, he should be coming over soon. We should probably be getting back."

Mal nodded and the two eased themselves off the floor. Emma waved her hand towards the lock of the library door, ensuring it was locked, before she offered her arm to Mal. The dragon took it happily, allowing Emma to transport them home in her signature cloud of white.

As the smoke cleared in the house, Emma and Mal were met with the sound of a very giggly toddler and aunt. They headed into the kitchen and saw that Ally was sitting on the counter beside her aunt watching her cook.

"Right so let me get this straight," Zelena was saying as she sliced some chicken. "Mr Cow jumped over the moon to get some cheese for his best friend Mr Puppy. But Mrs Bird wouldn't let him leave so he had to settle with dog biscuits?"

"Nooooo!" Ally giggled. "Mrs _Chicken_ wouldn't let him go. It was very funny."

"What on earth are we interrupting?" Emma asked as she crossed the room.

"Mama!" Ally called and held her arms out for her mother to pick her up. "I telling Auntie Zee about Mr Cow!"

"The TV show we were watching," Zelena clarified when both blondes looked completely baffled. "I didn't understand it either so Al Pal was telling me about it." It seemed that Hook's nickname for the tot had rubbed off on the other members of Operation Phoenix, including Henry who had started calling her that too. "Chicken Alfredo for dinner, is that alright?"

"You bet!" Emma agreed. "I love your cooking."

"Alright, brown noser, go set the table," Zelena instructed but she smiled at the compliment.

Emma shuffled Ally in her arms before waving her hand over the kitchen draw and Ally watched mesmerised as the knives and forks flew across the room and settled at the right place on the table. Sure, she had been brought up around magic, but she still found it spectacular.

Ally then furrowed her brow in concentration and repeated her mother's action on the kitchen draw and much to Emma's surprise, the draw shook a little, but didn't open.

"Did you just see that?" Emma asked Mal who had been watching the two. "Did she just try and open that?"

Mal nodded. "What do you expect, Em?" She smiled. "She's the product of True Love and the daughter of probably the two most powerful sorceresses to have existed. Of course she's going to have magic."

"But she's three?" Emma's mouth was still wide open in shock as Ally was still concentrating on the draw, trying to get it to open.

"Her magic isn't developed yet," Mal reassured her as she crossed the room and bopped Ally on the nose to stop her from exhausting herself. "She's just showing signs. When she gets a little older, we can step in and teach her what she needs to know but looking at things, she's got the basics already. She's a naturally."

"Just like her mommy," Emma muttered quietly before she kissed Ally on the head.

"When is Henry getting here?" Zelena asked. "Dinner should be ready in about ten."

Just as she posed her question, Henry walked through the door. As it was now his mother's house, Zelena was fine with Henry walking in without ringing the doorbell.

"Hi guys!" He greeted before he stopped stock still in front of Maleficent. "Oh my God!"

"Kid, don't be rude," Emma chastised lightly. "Mal, this is my son, Henry. Henry, this is Maleficent."

"It's so good to meet you!" Henry greeted, holding his hand out for Mal to shake, ever the gentleman. "I've heard so much about you."

"Likewise," Mal replied, smiling as she shook his hand.

Before they could say much else, Zelena announced that dinner was ready.

oOoOo

After dinner, Emma put Ally on her beanbag with her wooden blocks as she requested while the others sat down. The TV was on quietly in the background as the women explained how the prior evening had gone with Henry who was lapping it all up.

"I can't believe it all worked," he commented afterwards. His mind completely blown. "Though for Ma's sake, I'm so happy." He took a sip of his coke. "Mom told me that she saw Mal today. She was very confused."

"I'm not surprised," Mal murmured. "But I think we're going to be okay."

Henry nodded. "Yeah she said that, but," he paused as he glanced over to Ally, "I don't think that's what she meant. She just kept grouping together Ma and you. It was like," he shook his head, "like she was jealous or something. I don't know. Not the idea of you being friends but she didn't know how _close_ you both are, if you get me."

Hearing this, Emma snapped. "That's it, I've had enough of this." She turned to her son. "Is she home alone?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, she has no plans tonight, why?"

Emma stood up and walked over to Ally. Leaning down, she pecked her on her head before looking to the others. "I'm going over. We need to talk this out and there's no time like the present."

"Ma, don't, not when you're angry," Henry warned.

She crossed the room and pecked her son on the forehead. "It has to be now, Kid, or I'll lose my nerve." Before she left the room, she glanced back. "Ally needs to be put in bed in half an hour. I don't know how long I'll be."

"Ma!" Henry tried again but Emma didn't listen. She flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

When it cleared, she was standing at the edge of Regina's garden. She didn't want to piss her off first thing by appearing on her doorstep. Taking a deep breath, she opened the gate and walked slowly up to the door, giving herself time to back out, but she didn't.

Finally, Regina's white door loomed ahead. Her heart was in her throat, but she needed to do this. Slowly, she raised her fist and knocked on the door.

Regina opened it after a minute, her heels clicking across the hallway proceeded the door opening.

"Emma?" She gasped in surprised. "Is it Henry?"

The blonde shook her head, looking at the floor. "No, he's fine," she assured her before looking up. "We need to talk."

Regina visibly swallowed but opened the door wider to allow Emma to enter. "How would you like a glass of the best cider you've ever tasted?" Regina asked over her shoulder, putting on a show of confidence that they both knew was fake.

The response, "got anything stronger," was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't. "No thanks, water will do."

Regina turned back, her eyebrow raised in surprise, but Emma kept her face neutral.

Before long, the two were sitting in Regina's study, the Mayor holding a glass of cider and Emma with water. It was almost a mirror repeat to their first night, down to the awkwardness between them.

As Emma had come to see the Mayor, Regina waiting for the blonde to start speaking.

"We need to talk," she repeated.

"So you've said," Regina murmured in replied, smirking to hide her fear.

Emma sighed. "Don't," she requested. "I hate all of this just as much as you do. Can we just be civil and honest with each other like we used to?"

Regina took a deep breath and bit her lip. She placed her cider on the table and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Thanks." Emma took a sip of her water before placing it on the table and looking at Regina. "I can't imagine how confusing this is for you. To be told that the life you know is a lie, but I know you, Regina. I knew the version I met before I went back and I got to know another version when I was in the past. I get that it's confusing, I just don't understand why you're being so stubborn about this." She ran her fingers frustratedly through her hair. "You're so intelligent and level-headed, but you just won't let this be possible."

"I just don't understand how it can be," she admitted. "I don't remember a thing. I know you'd never lie to me and seeing Alexandra's reaction to me hit me hard, but I just don't see how it could be true. And you and Maleficent…"

"Jesus Regina, there is nothing going on between Maleficent and I!" Emma cried in frustration. "She's like my sister. Why would you even think that?"

Regina shuffled uncomfortably on her seat. "She said she's staying with you too. You looked awfully chummy on your walk. With Ally you looked like a family."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Are you jealous?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina scoffed. "I'm not jealous."

Emma's lie detector pinged like crazy, though she wasn't sure if Regina was jealous of Emma or Mal in that situation. She chose not to push it further. Instead, she flicked her wrist and Henry senior's storybook appeared in her lap.

"This was written by your father," she admitted. She passed it over to Regina to peruse. "It shows the story of us."

Hesitantly, Regina reached out and took the book out of Emma's hands. As she flipped the pages, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped.

"This is crazy," she gasped. "The commentary is so typical of my father." She glanced up and saw Emma looking ridiculously hopeful. "I just can't–"

"Kiss me then!" Emma snapped, losing her patience at Regina's disbelief. "Kiss me if you don't believe that we're True Loves. If you're right, the kiss won't do anything, it won't break any spell. What have you got to lose?"

"Emma," Regina sighed, trying to make it out as if she wasn't ridiculously tempted at the offer. She'd wanted to kiss the blonde for longer than she cared to admit.

Having none of it, Emma lifted the book out of Regina's hands and put it on the table. She shifted forward until there was a centimetre between them.

"Kiss me," Emma requested softly.

The Mayor could feel Emma's breath on her lips and could smell her perfume. She shut her eyes to take it all in. She was mesmerised and could no longer put it off. "Just because it won't work," Regina breathed, her eyes flickering between Emma's eyes and her lips.

Emma's breath hitched as she realised what was about to happen. She rested one hand softly on Regina's hip as the two leant in slowly and just as their lips were about to touch, the front door opened.

 _A/N: Please don't hate me!_


	52. Chapter 52

_A/N: Just a heads up to some of the reviews in the last chapter. This is a story and I write things to create drama that will be resolved before the end, just how story writing works. I wish I didn't have to say something like this, but the comments kinda sucked. To everyone else, I'm glad you're enjoying it and stay in there, what you're waiting for will happen soon! Without any further ado, let's continue where we left off!_

"Regina, I'm here!"

At the sudden sound of Robin's voice, Regina shot back from the almost kiss as if she'd been burned and Emma cussed.

At hearing the blonde's voice, Robin rushed in. He saw how close the two were sitting and he saw red.

"Just what is going on here?!" He demanded before turning to Emma. "Are you trying to convert _my_ girlfriend into your dirty lesbian ways?"

"Robin!" Regina gasped, her eyes flashed in warning. "Don't speak to her like that!" Emma's heart lifted at hearing the Mayor defend her, however, the thief wasn't having any of it.

"And don't think I've forgiven you for shipping me and Roland into the forest the other day in green smoke!" Robin cried, ignoring Regina. "He was frightened to death."

"That wasn't me," Emma defended herself quickly, raising one had in surrender. "That was Zelena. My magic is white, not green." She stood up and made her way across the room.

Robin scowled. "Irrelevant. You were the reason she sent us away. Now you should leave, I have a romantic evening planned with my beautiful girlfriend." He crossed the room and kissed Regina in greeting.

The hope in Emma's heart jumped when she saw that the Mayor didn't reciprocate the kiss, though seeing the kiss gave her a tight feeling around her stomach and a woozy head. However, when the pains didn't disappear, she found herself reaching to hold onto the wall.

"I thought I told you to leave," Robin repeated.

Emma wasn't listening as she clutched the wall tighter. "I…I can't," she whispered breathlessly and Regina realised something more serious was going on.

She crossed the room just at the right time and caught Emma as she started to fall.

"Emma, what's wrong?" She asked frantically, trying to find the source of Emma's pain. "Where does it hurt?"

"The baby," the blonde whispered. "Save the baby." Before Regina could ask what baby, Emma's eyes fluttered shut as she passed out.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up, all she could see was white. She was convinced she was dead, but after a few more senses woke up, she realised that if she was dead, heaven wouldn't have a ridiculously annoying beep sound. Looking around, she realised she was in the hospital with a monitor beside her.

The next thing she noticed was Henry snoozing in a chair at the end of the bed and another very familiar face sitting beside her. Her chocolate eyes gazing into the green.

"Hey," Regina murmured quietly as to not scare her.

"Hi," Emma replied croakily. Regina passed her a glass of water which Emma sipped happily. "How come you're here?"

Regina blushed. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," she said honestly. "And I wanted to know–"

"About what I meant with the baby?" Emma predicted and Regina nodded.

"I mean, Dr Whale said you had low blood pressure which caused you to pass out," she revealed. "He just said he was worried what the drop would do to the baby." She took a deep breath. "Emma, are you pregnant?"

At the question, Emma teared up and bit her lip before nodding slowly.

"Who's…"

"Don't ask me that," Emma whispered before Regina could finish her question. "Not after a night like tonight when everything could have been corrected, but it wasn't to be." She sniffed as she tried to stop the tears from falling. "You know the answer and you have a book of the truth, but you still won't accept it."

"I'm so sorry, Emma, I really am," Regina confessed which surprised Emma. "I want to believe you, but I finally have a family around me. A man who loves me and two sons that I love."

"He doesn't love you," Emma murmured. "He treats you as a prize. I get what you mean about Roland, he's cute and innocent in all of this, but his father is a monster. Do you know what he said about Henry the other day?"

Regina's brows furrowed in confusion as she shook her head. "No?"

"Robin wants to start a family with you," she revealed. Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He sees no place in your family for our son."

"He what!?"

Whatever Regina was about to say was cut off when Hook slammed the hospital door wide open with Ruby hot on his tail. The crash pulled Henry out of his slumber as he blinked rapidly at the intrusion.

"Whaz goin on!?" He murmured sleepily.

"Sorry, Kid!" Hook said as she rushed to Emma's bed. "Swan, are you alright?! Zelena called us and told us what happened." He then turned and realised who was sat beside Emma's chair. "What are you doing here?"

"She brought me," Emma revealed. "I'll tell you everything later. All that is important at the moment is that I'm okay and so is the baby. I just want to go home."

Ruby nodded and headed out of the room to speak to the doctors about releasing the blonde.

"I should go," Regina murmured.

Emma bit her lip as the tears threatened to fall again in her emotional state. With the mood she was in, she wanted nothing more than to breakdown in Regina's arms.

"Ginny," she whispered.

Regina spun round and looked at Emma, her eyebrows shot up at the familiar nickname, an echo of a memory flashed of someone in her past calling her that, but she couldn't remember who. She hesitated, wanting to hear it again, but she couldn't. She turned around and Emma had to watch the love of her life walk out the door without looking back.

Hook didn't take his eyes off the blonde in front of him. "Zelena told us you passed out and were here and that she'd sent Henry here at your request?"

Emma inched herself up the bed and shook her head. "That must have been Regina."

"Mom called me," Henry said as he made his way over. "She told me you'd passed out and that she'd brought you here and I asked to be sent here for when you woke up. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay, Kid," Emma smiled and patted the bed, encouraging him to take a seat. "I'm glad you're here."

"What happened?" He asked quietly as he reached out to take his mother's hand.

However, as Emma went to reply, Dr Whale and Ruby walked back in.

"Ah, Sheriff, you're awake," the doctor commented. He looked up from his notes. "We just need to take your blood pressure again just to make sure it's okay."

Emma nodded and allowed the doctor to do his job, wrapping the band around her arm and taking the reading. Once it was done, he noted the results on his clipboard.

"It's back to a normal reading," he revealed. "Though I highly recommend you don't get yourself into another stressful situation which brought on the first bout. You need to stay calm during this pregnancy. You can go home."

"Thanks," she replied and the doctor headed out of the room.

"So what did happen?" Ruby asked softly.

"I'll tell you when we're back," Emma said. "I don't have the energy to transport us back right now either so…"

"I've got it covered," Ruby said. She pulled out her phone and sent a message.

Twenty seconds later, the four of them were surrounded by a cloud of green smoke. When it cleared, they were standing in Zelena's living room with the Witch's hands outstretched.

"Thanks," Emma commented before she flopped onto the sofa.

"Drinks?" Zelena suggested, ever the hostess. Everyone nodded and she stood up to head to the kitchen.

"I'll help," Ruby offered and she followed Zelena out of the room. Emma was too tired to see how close they were standing.

"I put Ally to bed about an hour ago," Mal revealed. "She asked for you but with her dragon waggled in her face, she fell asleep pretty quickly. Is it the same one?"

Emma shook her head. "Sadly no, that one was lost in Regina's castle, so I had to conjure a new one. Sorry."

Mal chuckled. "You don't have to apologise. I'm glad she's still got a version of it after all this time."

"She loves it, and you, why wouldn't she?" Emma said with a smile.

Zelena and Ruby then headed back into the living room with a tray of hot chocolates, two with cinnamon on top for Emma and Henry, one with added cream for Hook and the rest plain.

They took their drink and muttered their thanks before everyone took a seat on the sofas. Zelena and Ruby shared the chair in the corner while the others squeezed onto the two-seater with Henry taking Ally's beanbag.

Everyone turned to look at Emma who was still sipping her cocoa, biding her time.

"Ma?" Henry encouraged quietly and Emma finally had to speak.

She placed her cocoa on the table and sighed. "I went over and told her that I'd had enough of her disbelief, but she wouldn't have any of it, so I snapped and told her to kiss me. Saying if I was lying, the kiss wouldn't do anything."

"Did she hit you for that?" Ruby asked, her eyebrows raised in shock at the fact Emma had dared.

"I doubt it," Mal murmured. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was looking for a reason to kiss her."

Emma coughed. "I thought this was my story time?"

"Sorry," Ruby and Mal muttered before indicating that Emma could continue.

She chuckled before becoming serious again. "Anyway, I went for it. I shuffled close to her and put my hand on her hip. She leant towards me. We were a mere millimetre away from kissing," she sighed and frowned, "and then the door opened and _he_ walked in." She laughed humourlessly. "Then he started yelling at me for, and I quote, "trying to convert _his_ girlfriend into my dirty lesbian ways"." She shook her head and raised her hand to stop others from interrupting. "Then I just got angry and started to leave but I had a pain and then the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital."

"A rather eventful night then," Mal surmised. "But at least we know one thing." The other looked at her questioningly. "She wanted to kiss you and was going to. We just have to have that happen again with the thief otherwise detained. Then all will be well."

"It won't be that easy," Emma said, ever her go to statement.

"Ma, when are you going to realise? Everything is easy if you put your mind to it," Henry said with a shrug.

"I wish it was," Emma muttered.

Henry reached out and took his mother's hand. "I believe in you and in this. I have the heart of the truest believer, it counts for something."

At Henry's words, Emma teared up a little. "We'll see," she sighed, "but for now, I'm going to head to bed. I've had an exhausting day. Goodnight everyone."

Emma headed out of the room and to her bedroom while the other stayed up a little longer, trying to plan just how they could keep Robin busy while Emma tried to kiss Regina again.

oOoOo

Much to the other's surprise, Emma didn't mention the events of that night for the next couple of days. Instead, she threw herself into work. She'd either take Ally to the Sheriff's station with her or she had Zelena or Mal look after her.

It was one afternoon when Ally was with the dragon, Emma was working a shift along side her father. Usually, she tried to schedule herself to work alone or with Hook, who was working part time as a deputy, and avoid her father as much as possible. However, today it was unavoidable.

She walked in and saw Charming sitting behind his desk, filling out some neglected paperwork for once.

"Hello stranger," he greeted as Emma entered.

"Hi," Emma replied nervously as she sat at her desk beside him. "I didn't realise you were working this afternoon?"

"I traded with Hook," he revealed. "He said he had something to do and asked me to swap."

Emma didn't need to ask what the pirate was up to. As much time as he spent with Emma and Ally, he was also trying to work up the courage and talk to Lina. He'd walked past the bakery and seen her, but he hadn't been prepared to walk in and see the distance in her eyes when she didn't recognise him. He had told Emma that he was going to speak to her soon, just to say hello and see if she remembered him. She sent her wishes to him.

"Yeah, he's busy," she muttered as she turned on her computer.

"Doing what?" Charming asked, curious. He wanted to get a conversation out of his daughter. Preferably it would be about her, but he had to start somewhere.

Emma raised her eyebrow at her father, seeing through him, but she conceded. "He was dating someone back in the Enchanted Forest and obviously she doesn't remember him so he's trying to woo her in this time," she revealed. "I'm not sure how it'll work but he loves her and wants her to remember." She shrugged. "I can't say as I blame him."

"It must be difficult," Charming commented quietly, offering his support.

Emma's eyes widened. "You believe me?"

"Of course, I do," he said. "You wouldn't have moved out and let it continue this long if you were lying." He shrugged. "Your mother told me what happened and I just want to say that I support you. I'm trying to convince Snow, but you know what she's like. You know where you get your stubbornness from."

Emma chuckled. "I guess." She sighed. "I just don't get why she won't believe me. I have nothing to gain from lying about this. Especially with your pasts with Regina, why would I say she was Ally's mother if she wasn't?"

Charming reached out and squeezed Emma's hand gently. "That's why I believe you. You wouldn't." He smiled reassuringly. "And you're right, the more I think about Alexandra, the more I've noticed the similarity between her and Regina. Also, was it really Maleficent I saw the other day?"

"Yeah, she's back. Why?" Emma asked, curious to see if Charming would remember being locked in her attic. According to Henry's book, that didn't happen, but it was clearly written in Henry Senior's.

"We just didn't get along in the past," he shrugged.

"She didn't ever lock you up?" She asked, hinting that there was more to the story.

Charming's brow furrowed. "No? Not that I remember."

Emma sighed. "But she did! I saved you! And Mary Margaret because she took you." She shook her head. "Regina's curse must have wiped everything that I did. I guess, if I wasn't there to save you, it would have reworked it so that you were never taken."

"That would make sense," Charming said, nodding. He sighed. "You know, I hope this curse gets broken as I want to know what happened in my life. From what you're saying, it's been even more chaotic than I remember." He chuckled before becoming serious once more. "As for your mother, I'll keep working on it. For now, she's barely sleeping because of Neal." Emma shivered at the name. "I'm sorry about that too, we didn't think it would bother you."

"I didn't think it would," Emma revealed. "I think it's just going to remind me of times I'd rather forget. Neal abandoned me, David, which brought back the feeling of my parents abandoning me," she ignored Charming's shudder, "and then for him to suddenly be thrown back into my life, just to die? That's something I don't think I'll ever get over. He was a light and a darkness in my life and now my little brother is named after him? It's going to be difficult until he gets older, I think."

Just as Charming when to respond, though what he was going to say, he didn't know, the office phone rang and Emma picked it up. "Storybrooke Police Station, how can we help?"

After a couple of minutes on the phone, Emma hung up an turned to her father.

"There's a fight at Granny's," she revealed. "Let's go."

Nodding, Charming stood and followed Emma to the cruiser. After pushing a few buttons and turning on the ignition, she zoomed down the road, the red light flashing and the siren blasting.

They reached the diner in minutes and rushed out of the car. Crashing in, they prepared themselves to stop the fight, but they were too late. There was no fight.

"What's going on?" Emma demanded, looking at Ruby who was on duty but not the waitress who had made the call.

"Rumple and Robin," she muttered pointing to where the Dark One was sitting in the far corner with Belle holding his hand, trying to calm him down.

Emma glanced at Charming who nodded and accepted the keys from her. Charming headed back to the station and Emma headed over to where Belle and Rumple were sitting.

"What happened?" She asked as she sat down. She got her notepad out ready to write what was said if necessary.

"The thief," Rumple hissed, but didn't continue.

Emma looked at Belle, hoping she would jump in.

"He was discussing with Little John about his relationship with Regina, bragging about it really," the librarian revealed.

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. Sure, Rumple got on with Regina, but she didn't think that those comments would really bother him.

"It wasn't the bit about Regina that got to him," Belle said as if reading Emma's mind. "It was about Henry."

At that, Emma's eyes flashed. "What did he say?"

"He just kept repeating that there was no place for Henry is his family," Rumple said, speaking again finally. "He said he was tainted because he was your son and my grandson and that just set me going. I strangled him." His voice was dark as he revealed what happened. "No one disrespects my family and gets away with it. Henry is the most important boy in this world."

Emma's heart soared at hearing how much Rumple did care about Henry. It still baffled her that he was Henry's other grandfather, but after hearing that, she'd never been happier.

"I wish I'd never been interrupted," Rumple said darkly.

Emma sighed. "Look, I'm going to forget you confessed," she replied, having to be official as she was on duty. "But as I didn't see anything, I won't write it up. In fact, I want to say thank you for defending Henry."

"Of course," Rumple said as if it was obvious.

"How did the fight stop though?" Emma asked, realising she hadn't heard that.

"Little John punched him," Belle said as she reached out and stroked his jaw. Emma saw then that there was a small bruise growing. "He lost his concentration and they ran out before anything else could happen. I think the waitress called you as a precaution."

Emma sighed. "I don't get him," she said as she put away her notepad. "Not in the slightest."

"Your 'claims' about your relationship with Regina is emasculating him," Rumple said, rolling his eyes. "He's from a different part of the Enchanted Forest than we are. They're, for a better word, backwards. They think the woman is there to cook, clean and please the man. I should have killed him when he escaped."

"Rumple," Belle warned softly, squeezing his hand. "Don't."

"Sorry," he murmured quickly, surprising Emma.

"I agree with Belle," Emma replied with a sigh. "I mean, he's a dick yeah, but if it's how he's been raised, it's going to take a lot to shake. However, if he says anything like that about my son again, I'll kill him for you."

"Emma," Bella chastised with a roll of her eyes. "You two are as bad as each other."

Just as Emma went to reply, the door crashed opened and Hook stormed in, heading straight to the counter.

"This can't be good," Emma murmured. "I'll see you later."

She stood up and headed towards the counter to stand beside Hook and overheard him order a rum, neat. As soon as he received it, he shot it down and requested another.

"What happened?" Emma asked quietly, reaching out to squeeze his arm.

"She refused a date," he replied sadly. "I did everything I could not to mention the past and base it all on now, but Lina point-blank refused, saying she wasn't interested. It cut deep, Em, it really did."

He reached out and swallowed the next shot of rum, but Emma shook her head at Ruby to stop her from pouring another. Ruby nodded and went off to serve someone else.

"It sucks, I know," Emma murmured, "but she'll remember at some point and you'll be able to laugh at this. There is no point getting wasted over it." She sighed. "Come on, come to the station with me for a distraction. I doubt there will be any more calls, but I'll keep you busy with some paperwork."

Hook rolled his eyes. "Just because you don't want to do it."

Emma chuckled. "You got me, come on."

Despite Emma's mention of paperwork, she didn't actually make the pirate do any. She just let him sit in the corner and tried to keep him talking. He was soon smiling and along with Charming, they passed the afternoon cracking jokes with each other, all previous conversations of the day forgotten. Emma was glad that she and her father were on good terms. She just wished her mother could see the truth too.


	53. Chapter 53

Emma's issues with her mother weren't getting any better. A week after her trip to her hospital, Emma had the day off work and decided to treat herself and Ally to lunch at Granny's. However, it did not go to plan. Not in the slightest.

As Ruby placed Emma and Ally's plates before them, the bell above the door jangled before a baby's cry was heard. Glancing up, Emma saw her mother entering with her brother in his pram. She tried to shrink in her chair in hopes that Mary Margaret wouldn't see her, but it was to no avail.

"Emma!" Snow cried as she walked over. "Can we join?"

"Umm?" Emma hesitated and glanced to Alexandra, but the tot was already eating her nuggets happily, so she couldn't make an excuse to leave. "Sure," she sighed eventually before motioning her mother to sit down.

"I've not seen you in a while. How are you?" Snow asked as she pulled Neal out of his pram so that she could stop his crying.

"I'm alright, you?" Emma returned. She picked up her burger and took a bite.

"I'm surprised at that," Snow said, ignoring Emma's question.

"Oh?" Emma put her burger down, getting the feeling that Snow was about to say something she wouldn't like and she didn't want to have a mouth full of food for it.

"I saw Killian a few days ago," Snow began and Emma sighed thinking, _here we go_.

"So? He lives here?" Emma said sarcastically. "Funnily enough, you're going to see him."

"He was asking a young woman out on a date," Snow said, ignoring Emma's tone. "I mean she refused him, but I would have thought that would have been a bit upsetting for you."

"Why?" Emma asked, feeling herself getting angry. "We're not together."

Again, Snow was oblivious as she stared down at Neal. "I've always said that Henry got his brains from Regina."

"What?" Emma gasped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Finally, Snow looked up from the baby and looked at her daughter. "Well, he's so intuitive and clever, like Regina, whereas you're more abrasive and a bit, I don't know, slow."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I have a masters from Harvard, Mary Margaret?" Emma demanded. "Like the really fancy university? Not some made up qualification like you got in a curse." She sighed in frustration.

"Oh you know what I mean," Snow chastised. Emma's eyes widened because no, she did not know what her mother meant, but Snow was already ignoring Emma's outburst, continuing with her story. "And that's another thing, I'm your mother, you never call me that."

"You've not done anything to warrant the name," Emma murmured, bringing the noise level down. "Technically you are my mother, but I've been motherless for twenty-eight years and at the moment, I don't want you to be my mother."

Snow bit her lip as Emma's words finally hit her. "Then listen to my advice as a friend who cares about you very much." Emma hesitated, preparing herself for the worst which naturally came tumbling out of the school teacher's mouth. "You and Killian should be together for Alexandra's sake."

"For the last time, Mary Margaret, Killian is _not_ Ally's father!" Emma snapped, completely losing it with her mother. In that moment, she was so involved with having it out with her mother, she didn't see Ally tear up at the outburst and slip out of her seat and towards the door to Granny's.

Once outside, Ally just kept running, not sure where she was going until she crashed into someone. Looking up, she saw the one person she'd unconsciously been looking for.

"Mommy!" She gasped and wrapped her arms around Regina's leg.

Unsure of what to do, Regina knelt down and allowed Ally to hug her. She couldn't remember ever hugging the little girl but feeling Ally's embrace felt familiar and she felt something stir. From inside, she could feel love pouring out of her.

Then suddenly, her mind went blank as something flashed before her eyes. Her eyes closed and she saw herself, from her own perspective, rushing towards a crib and pulling a younger version of Alexandra close to her chest, rocking her to the side. She didn't know what had happened, but she was comforting the sobbing little girl, murmuring, "it's okay, Princess, Mommy's got you."

At the words, her eyes shot open and she saw that the little girl in question was looking back at her, sniffling as she tried to stem her tears that were still falling rapidly down her cheeks.

"Alexandra, where's your mother?" Regina asked kindly, pulling Ally back so she could look at her. She tried to see if she could see herself in the tot's features. All she saw was a miniature Emma. Perhaps that why she felt a connection to her. But as she looked closer, she saw that Ally's mouth was the exact same shape as hers, her lips were just a little paler, more like Emma's.

"Mommy," Ally repeated sadly and pointed at Regina, pulling her out of her inner thoughts.

"Yes, honey, where is your mommy?" Regina asked again, misunderstanding what Ally meant. She knew the blonde would be worried sick realising that Ally had gone missing.

"No, you're Mommy," Ally replied sadly. "Mama is in there." She turned and pointed at Granny's. "She shouted at Grandma."

Regina sighed, of course it would be to do with Snow. For the best part, she got on with her former step-daughter, but she still tried to keep her at a distance.

"Do you know what about?" Regina asked kindly as she cupped Ally's face, thumbing her tears away gently.

"Grandma thinks Killi is my daddy, but he's not," Ally replied as she sniffled, trying to stop the tears. Regina felt something flare deeply in her at the idea of Emma being with Killian. "Mama says you no remember."

Regina smiled sadly. She found the child adorable. "I'm afraid I don't, honey," Regina said. As she said it, she felt sadness deep in her gut at her words. She put on a fake smile. "Now, shall we go find Mama?"

Ally nodded sadly and reached up, silently asking Regina to lift her. Acting on instinct, Regina lifted the child and rested her on her hip, and Ally automatically leant into her. The embrace felt familiar too.

Trying to ignore it, she headed down towards Granny's. Just as she walked through the archway, the door flew open and a frantic Emma rushed out.

"Alexandra!" She cried, running towards Regina and pulling the tot out of her arms and embracing her tightly, resting her hand against the back of her head before pulling her forward. "Where did you go?"

"I found her down the road," Regina murmured, her heart melting at the sight before her. Emma really was a wonderful mother, well, she was when she didn't accidentally allow her daughter to wander off.

"Thank you!" Emma said to Regina. "Mary Margaret pissed me off and I got so involved in yelling at her, I hadn't noticed I'd upset Ally and made her run off." Emma looked at Ally and kissed her temple before Ally leant into her mother's neck, her eyes fluttering shut, exhausted with all the emotions running around. "I'm so sorry, Princess, I'll never do it again." She glanced back at Regina who was hesitating in front of them. "Honestly, thank you."

"Well she is my daughter," Regina said and Emma's heart escalated, thinking that Regina remembered, until she added, "apparently," and her heart sunk. "I have to go. I'm meant to be meeting Robin."

"You're still with him?" Emma asked incredulously. "After what he said to Henry?"

Regina bit her lip nervously. "I am, for now anyway."

Emma's head cocked to the side. "What does that mean?"

"Please don't ask," Regina practically begged.

There was a short pause before Emma asked, "have you looked through your father's book yet?" She wanted to change the subject as she could tell Regina was uncomfortable and she didn't want to be the reason for that. The Mayor shook her head and Emma sighed. She took a step forward and cupped Regina's cheek. "I know your memories are there deep down," she whispered. She tried to ignore the way Regina subtly leant into her touch, but it just made her heart beat faster. "Read the book and look for them please. That's all I ask."

Before Regina could reply, Emma flicked her wrist and poofed herself to Hook's new flat. After his mishap with Lina, Hook hadn't been discouraged, but chose to put his efforts elsewhere. He started with looking for somewhere to live as he didn't want to be staying at Granny's much longer. The search took a couple of days, but he managed to find a small two bedroomed flat so that Ally could stay over if needed. He was also close to the police station if he was needed in an emergency.

Emma knocked on the door and Hook opened after thirty seconds. After seeing her face, he knew something was wrong.

"Come on in, I'll put the kettle on and you can tell me everything," he said, opening the door wider. "Hey, Al Pal!"

"Killi!" She cried. She reached out and Emma allowed him to take the Princess as they headed to the kitchen.

"What's up?" Killian asked.

"Mary Margaret and Regina," Emma replied with a sigh as she set about making drinks for them all while Killian had a moment with Ally.

"I saw Mommy," Ally said. "I got a hug but she still no remember me."

"Aw Al Pal," Hook said and cuddled her closer. "How did you get a hug?"

He looked up at Emma who bit her lip. "I yelled at Mary Margaret and I think it scared her, so she ran off." She bopped Ally on the nose. "Don't think that's okay, by the way, Princess. You scared Mama half to death with that trick."

"Sorry," Ally mumbled. "But I got to see Mommy! I got a hug. Maybe she loves me?"

"Your mother does love you," Hook confirmed before glancing at Emma. "Maybe she's remembering?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't know, but I've asked her to actually read Henry's storybook as she hasn't yet." She brought the tray of tea and biscuits over. She hadn't finished her lunch thanks to Mary Margaret's interruption. "I think I got through to her. We'll just have to wait and see."

"It'll happen eventually," Hook promised. "I know Regina is stubborn, but she's not stupid." He sipped his tea. "Just keep hinting or next time you see her, just pull her forward and snog her."

Emma burst out laughing. "Definitely not." She sighed before her phone dinged in her pocked. Slipping it out, she saw a text from Henry. She smiled at the message before looking back up at Hook. "Could you look after Ally for a bit? Henry needs help on his homework and I've not been able to spend much one on one time with him during all of this."

Hook nodded. "Sure," he said immediately. "She can stay if you want."

Emma looked at her daughter who was sitting happily Killian's lap, trying to steal his biscuits out of his hand. She chuckled at the scene.

"How do you fancy a sleepover with Killi tonight?" She suggested and Ally's eyes went wide in excitement.

"Can we play piwates?" She asked, still struggling to say her r's sometimes.

Hook chuckled as he nodded. "Of course, first mate! We never did find the treasure last time, did we?"

The pirate had hidden a small box of "gold" which was just yellow paper cut up and the two would battle invisible monsters and fight pretend pirates to find it. However, last time, Zelena had called him to say that Mal had been resurrected and asked if he wanted to bring Ally back.

Ally shook her head and looked at Emma. "Can I, Mama?"

"Of course," Emma said. She pulled out her phone and text Henry to say that it was fine to come over and offered to pick him up from school. When he replied back, she stood up. "I'm gonna get Henry from school so he doesn't have to walk." She crossed the room and kissed Ally on her forehead. "Be good for Killi," she instructed.

"Yes, Mama," Ally replied as she nodded. She then pointed to the box in the corner. "To the Jolly Woger!"

"See you later, Pirates," Emma chuckled before she flicked her wrist and appeared in her car.

She glanced around, taking in the familiar view. She hadn't driven it recently as she'd left it at her mother's. With another wave of her hand, she conjured up her keys before putting them in the ignition and setting off to Henry's school.

Once she arrived, she saw that only Henry and a few stragglers were left. As he saw his mother coming, no one could miss the bright yellow bug, he grinned brightly and rushed over. He climbed in and automatically looked in the back. Confused, he glanced at his mother who had already started heading back to her new house.

"Where's Ally?" He asked.

"Playing Pirates with Killian," she replied with a chuckle. "I wanted to spend some time just you and me. That okay?"

If it was at all possible, Henry's grin broadened. "Of course!"

Emma smiled. "How was school?" She asked.

As the two drove back to Emma's, Henry filled his mother in with all the drama that was going on in his early teenage years. It still baffled her that he was already thirteen. It was crazy.

"Hot cocoa with cinnamon while we do your work?" She suggested after the two headed into the house once they arrived.

Henry nodded and grinned. "Always."

While Emma prepped the drinks, Henry got out his school work and put it into two piles. When Emma sat back down with their drinks, he pointed to the different piles.

"There's physics and math which I'll get Mom to help me with," he said with a chuckle as Emma's eyes narrowed at the horrific subjects. "I won't make you suffer with those."

She chuckled. "Good! What do you need help with?"

"I have to write a book report on the Hobbit and I knew you'd read it," Henry revealed as he pulled his English book towards him. He'd always known how intelligent his mother was and about her love for books. That was something they had bonded over.

"You came to the right person," Emma said. "I love that book."

The two then discussed what exactly Henry needed help with and Emma suggested small improvements where she thought was necessary. It didn't need to be a university level paper, but she gave him some pointers.

Henry was halfway through his work when he looked up and saw Emma slowly caressing her stomach.

"I still can't really believe you're having another baby," he murmured quietly.

Emma looked up. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked. "We've never really spoken about the fact you've suddenly become a big brother and now you're becoming one again."

Henry put his pen down and took a sip of his cocoa.

"It confused me," he revealed. "I never expected that to happen. I mean, I didn't even know two women could have kids together! Though it's you and Mom and you're both super powerful, so it shouldn't have been a surprise." He paused for a second. "I think I'm only so okay with it at the moment because Mom doesn't remember. She still thinks she can't have biological kids." His voice became quiet. "I'm worried that what Robin said will come true when she remembers but not for the reason you think." He took a deep breath. "What if she doesn't want me anymore because she'll have her biological daughter and another biological kid on the way?"

Emma frowned at what her son said, her eyes automatically watering because she was a sensitive pregnant woman. She reached out and cupped Henry's cheek.

"Nothing in the world is going to stop your mother loving you," she promised, "or me for that matter," she added. "You are our first born, you're always going to have a special place in our hearts. I love you so much it hurts, Kid. I owe everything to you."

Henry's brows furrowed in confusion. "How?"

"I wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for you." She motioned around the room. "I have my son back in my life, a daughter I never expected and a wife I adore. Sure, she doesn't remember me at the moment, but we're getting there. Are you really okay with Ally and the baby?"

Henry thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah, honestly Ma, I'm excited. Ally is amazing, she's so funny and so like Mom, it's crazy and with the new baby? I'm intrigued to see what they're gonna look like. It's funny that Mom carried Ally and she looks like you, so–"

"You think this baby will look like your Mom?" Emma finished, absentmindedly resting her hand on her belly.

"Maybe!" He shrugged. "I think she might be remembering, you know," he commented, swerving the conversation.

"Oh?"

"I called her for a ride, but she said she was busy," Henry said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"How does that mean she's remembering?" Emma asked, confused.

"She was in the middle of an argument with Robin," he revealed gleefully. "I mean, I didn't catch like any of it over the phone, but she sounded mad and he was angry. She just said she couldn't pick me up and she'd see me later. I text her to say I was coming here instead and she said okay."

Emma was silent for a few minutes as she took in what Henry had said. Regina and Robin could have been arguing for any number of reasons, but she had to cling onto what Henry had said that they were arguing because she was starting to remember.

"One step at a time, Kid," she said softly. "Did you ever tell her about what Robin said to you?"

Henry shook his head. "I didn't want to upset her."

"Oh Hen," she muttered as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"They'll be breaking up soon, it's fine."

Emma watched her son for a few moments and realised that he wasn't going to say anything further on the matter, so she changed the subject. "Do you want some dinner?"

Henry nodded. "Yes please!"

She chuckled as she stood up. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that Zelena would be home soon, so she made sure to start preparing extra.

As she finished slicing the carrots, her phone stared to ring.

"Ma, it's Hook," Henry called as she looked at the caller ID.

In seconds, Emma crossed the room, knowing it was something to do with Ally.

"Killian, what's wrong?" She asked after connecting the call.

"Ally's fallen," came Hooks' reply. Emma's face drained of colour as she listened to what had happened.

"I'll be right there!" She said and hung up. She looked at Henry. "Ally's fallen during their game and she's cut her forehead. I need to go get her. Are you okay to stay here until I get back?"

Henry nodded. "Course, I'll finish my work while you're gone. I hope she's okay."

She crossed the room and pecked Henry on his forehead. "I won't be long!"

With a flick of her wrist, Emma transported herself back to Killian's house. She appeared in the living room and was greeted by Killian holding a cloth to Ally's head. Ally was sobbing her heart out.

"Mama!" She cried when she saw Emma appear.

"Oh Princess," Emma said softly as she crossed her room. Killian pulled the tissue back and Emma saw the small cut and raised bump. "Are you okay?"

Ally shook her head as she sniffled through her tears. "Hurts," she mumbled.

Softly, Emma rested her hand over the cut, trying not to hurt her daughter. She shut her eyes and concentrated and soon enough, the cut healed and the bump flattened.

"Is that better, baby girl?" Emma asked.

Ally reached up and touched her head. "It gone?"

Emma nodded. "Yes honey," she said happily. "Magic!" She then became serious. "Next time, listen to Killi when he says no running on the sofa!"

Killian had told Emma how Ally had been running along the cushions and her foot got stuck between them causing her to lose her balance and slip sideways, hitting her head on the coffee table.

"Sorry, Mama," she mumbled sadly. "I come home?"

"You want to come home, baby?" She asked and Ally nodded.

"Home," she repeated.

Emma nodded and picked her daughter up. She glanced at Hook. "I'll bring her back another evening."

Hook nodded. "Have a good evening." He leant forward and pecked both Emma and Ally on their foreheads. "Be careful, Al Pal. I don't want to lose my first mate!"

Ally nodded but her eyes were fluttering as the crying had tired her out.

"See you later," Emma said to her friend before securing Ally in her arms and poofing back to Zelena's.

She appeared in the kitchen and much to her utter surprise, Regina was sitting at the kitchen table with Zelena and Henry.

Emma froze and looked down at her daughter who had fallen asleep. She quickly rushed from the room and put Ally down for a nap before dinner. When she returned, Regina was nowhere to be seen.

"Did I imagine that?" Emma asked, pointing to the seat that Regina had just been sitting in.

Zelena shook her head. "No, she was here and apparently not happy that you left Henry alone," she revealed and rolled her eyes.

"I told her I was fine," Henry added quickly. "I was only alone for five minutes before Zee came home." He shrugged before grinning. "She wanted to know if I was coming home for dinner as her plans fell through. Robin isn't staying for dinner."

Zelena grinned. "See, things are looking up!"

Emma raised her eyebrow at the Witch's statement. She didn't disbelieve her, but she didn't want to affirm her comment. Instead, she headed back to the food prep and carried on preparing the food to take her mind off of it all.


	54. Chapter 54

The next morning, Emma headed to work after dropping Ally off with Mal. Along with Hook's new flat, Maleficent had also a place of her own to live, curtesy of Regina. She had a job too working in the Mayor's office a couple of days a week though Emma wasn't sure what she did. She just missed having the dragon around all the time, but Mal's small flat was just around the corner from the farm house so she was over for dinner a couple of times a week.

Fortunately, it was Hook who was working the shift with her, not Charming. She was rather wary of seeing him after seeing Mary Margaret the day before. It seemed the woman hadn't listened to her husband about anything that Emma had said. She knew that Charming would have tried, Snow was just ridiculously stubborn as he'd said.

As she walked in, she saw Hook staring avidly at the paperwork in front of him. His eyes were red and blotchy.

"Hey," she said softly as she walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

Hook sighed as looked away. "I saw Lina again," he muttered. "Her arms wrapped around some bloke. Tom or something."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Tom Thumb?"

"Like I know?" Hook snapped and then sighed. "Sorry, after the drama with Ally last night and then seeing them afterwards, it just wasn't a good evening."

Reaching out, Emma squeezed his shoulder supportively. "She'll remember soon enough," she said. "Henry was saying that Regina was arguing with Robin last night. He thinks she's remembering. I'll get my wife back soon and the Lina will remember you again. Promise."

Hook half smiled before sighing again. "Well let's get on with some work to pass the time."

Their morning in the office was uneventful. Hook was called out to pull a cat from a tree as Emma didn't want to climb anything with the likelihood that she could fall out. Aside from that, there was nothing exciting to do until Emma headed to Granny's for lunch.

As soon as she walked through the door, Granny was waving her arms around frantically towards Grumpy.

Emma headed over to the counter were Ruby was waiting. "Should I ask?" She motioned towards the scene.

Ruby chuckled. "He hasn't paid his tab in two weeks, that's the max Granny allows, and she's trying to get it from him. He's been trying to sweet talk her for the past twenty minutes but she's not having any of it."

Emma joined in the laughter before the two headed to the back and made their way up to Ruby's suite. She had already told Emma about the small picnic she'd made for them.

Once upstairs, Emma took a seat on the sofa and Ruby brought the food over. She was still grinning as she sat down and Emma was sure she could see a feint bruise on Ruby's neck. Though she still didn't want to mention anything.

"So how's operation Regina going?" Ruby asked as she passed Emma a cheese and pickle sandwich, the blonde couldn't get enough of the stuff at the moment.

"It's going," Emma replied after sighing happily at the sour pickle taste making Ruby chuckle. "She apparently argued with Robin last night so hopefully that means something."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, Zee told me this morning."

At the mention of the witch, Emma finally had to ask. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

Ruby blushed and bit her lip. "Maybe," she mumbled, trying to hide herself behind her food. Emma raised her eyebrow, silently asking for more. Ruby sighed as she put her sandwich down. "I mean, it started before you went back to the past. We'd see each other every now and then and shamelessly flirt. She's just so fiery. It reminded me of what you said when we were in the Enchanted Forest and I was miserable. Remember?" Emma nodded. "We've been spending a lot of time together, whether during Operation Phoenix or in general and she's so funny and smart. She's wicked in all of the best ways." She flushed again when Emma waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"In all seriousness though, I am really happy for you," Emma said as she reached out and squeezed Ruby's hand who smiled.

"It's early days still," Ruby murmured, "but I'm happy. I'm enjoying every minute."

Emma grinned and she stopped questioning her friend and the two started chatting aimlessly. She told her friend about what happened with Ally the night before and what she and Henry had discussed. In turn, Ruby told her about the latest drama at the diner, including Grumpy's mishap earlier and when Pongo had rushed in when the door had opened and Granny had to chase him around the diner to stop him from stealing food. It sounded hilarious.

Before long, Emma had to head back to work and brought back some leftovers for Hook. He'd worked through lunch as Charming was unable to do the shift as Neal was sick and Snow was stressing. Despite being annoyed at her mother, Emma wasn't going to prevent them from looking after their sick son.

Hook left mid-afternoon as was agreed, leaving Emma alone. There was nothing to do so she spent the rest of the time throwing darts at the wall until it was time to go pick up Ally from Mal's.

The dragon opened the door with Ally on her hip ready to pass over to Emma.

"Got plans?" Emma asked, confused. Usually Mal would invite her in for a drink at least.

"Yeah sorry," Mal replied. "Regina's invited me for dinner," she revealed and bit her lip. "She said it was important but didn't go into detail. I'm to go over when I was free."

Emma nodded, despite the confusion. "Well, I hope you have fun." She glanced to Ally. "Say bye to Mal."

"Bye bye, Mally!" Ally waved with a grin.

Mal pecked her on her forehead. "See you, Ally." She smiled at Emma reassuringly. "I'll let you know how it all goes."

"Thanks."

Before the two could say anything further, Mal flicked her wrist until she was outside Regina house and knocking on the door and being allowed to enter. She was a little apprehensive about the dinner as Regina had said she'd invited her so she and Henry so they could get to know each other, but unbeknownst to Mal, Regina _did_ have an ulterior motive. She just needed to have her best friend and son in on it.

Regina had prepared her infamous lasagne for the three to share, along with cheesy garlic bread which was what alerted Henry to the fact she was planning something. She rarely allowed him to have garlic bread with lasagne as there were too many carbs, but the fact there was cheesy garlic bread just made it even more surreal.

"Mom, what's going on?" He asked when he saw the food being put down on the table.

"Can't I treat my son and friend to a delicious meal?" Regina countered, raising her eyebrow, daring him to continue.

However, he was her and Emma's son after all. Of course, he dared. "Sure, but cheesy garlic bread? You're planning something." He didn't even pose it as a question this time.

Regina sighed as she sat down. She glanced to where Mal was smirking over her glass of wine, clearly enjoying the scene unfolding before her.

"Fine, I want to talk to you about something," Regina muttered, realising her son had caught her out. She knew better than to lie to him now. "But I want to eat first before I ask it."

Henry's eyebrow was still raised but allowed the subject to drop and dug into his food. As always, it was impeccable. He had no idea how his mother was such a good cook, but he couldn't complain. Everything she made was heavenly.

To add to the fact that Regina wanted something from him, she didn't make him clean the dishes afterwards either. She simply waved her hand over the dirty pots and they cleaned themselves before landing in their homes in the cupboard. However, Henry knew not to comment on it.

"Let's go into my study," Regina instructed, and the others followed her, exchanging a glance of confusion between them. It was typical to go into the living room after they'd finished their meal.

However, once they were inside, Henry's jaw dropped. He rarely frequented his mother's study as it was her space to do as she pleased.

"Jesus, Regina!" Mal gasped, her face echoing Henry's.

The room was covered in sheets of paper and there were two storybooks on the table.

Regina bit her lip nervously. "I've been doing some research."

"Some?!" Henry echoed. "Mom, what's going on?"

With a sigh, Regina headed over to the storybooks and took a seat on the sofa. Henry and Mal followed and sat either side of her.

"Since when were there two?" He asked as he glanced between the books.

"This one is yours," Regina replied as she passed over the aforementioned book. "But this one was written by my father, apparently. It shows the story of Emma and the Evil Queen falling in love and having a baby." She glanced to Maleficent. "The story you told me."

Mal nodded. "This is the truth," she said quietly. "How did you get it?"

"Emma gave it to me," Regina revealed. "The night she ended up in the hospital. I looked through it fleetingly at first because I didn't remember any of it, but she asked me to look through this the other day and I knew I had to stop denying everything. I compared the two books together and things started to get a bit confusing." She instructed Henry to turn to a specific page as she turned to the corresponding page. "Henry's book doesn't mention anything about the captain of my guards being sent away," she pointed to the pages, "but this book does. I remember sending him away, and his wife. I mean, the meaning behind it is a bit fuzzy, which is why I realised that what Daddy's book says, could be right. If the true reason behind me sending Claude away was to do with Emma, of course I wouldn't remember." She then flicked a few pages until she found the next tale. "Then Henry's book doesn't mention my fall out with my uncle. Again, I can't really remember the reason, but according to Daddy's book, that was to do with Emma."

Regina sighed and flopped back on the sofa. Her hand resting over her eyes.

"So you believe us?" Mal muttered quietly.

"It's the only solution, isn't it?" Regina whispered, moving her hand to press lightly against her temple. "I mean, I can't think of anything else that answers it…" she trailed off as she remembered the flashback when she saw Ally the day before.

"What is it?" Mal asked and Regina sighed at how easily the dragon could read her.

"Yesterday, when I saw Alexandra ran into me," she began quietly, "I had a vision flash before my eyes of holding a younger version of her. She was crying and I was calming her down." Her eyes furrowed as she tried to remember what she saw and felt as she watched the vision. "Something had scared her so she couldn't sleep." She glanced up at Mal, hoping she could explain.

"The chernabog," she muttered quietly, "that's all I can think of."

"What's that?" Henry asked.

"It's a horrible creature," Mal revealed before she indicated to the storybook that was still resting on Regina's lap. "May I?" She asked, and Regina nodded. Mal pulled the book forward and flicked to the correct page. "This is when Emma and I became friends. She didn't trust me before that," she broke off as she chuckled. She looked up and saw Henry's curious face. "I'll let you mother tell you all about it," she said, not knowing if Henry knew about her past relationship with the Mayor. She coughed. "Rumple sent an infant chernabog after Emma, though that's not important now. Anyway, I saved her in time, but Alexandra saw it all and it frightened her. I can't think of anything else that really happened that would warrant you needing to comfort her." She looked at Regina who was taking in everything she said. "Have you remembered anything else?"

Regina bit her lip. "When I've tried to remember, there have been flickers. Blonde hair here, a laugh there. They're not enough to say it's Emma, but it's not, not enough to rule her out."

"It sounds like the curse is cracking if you're remembering things like that," Mal muttered.

Regina took a deep breath as she thought about it all. "I guess there's no denying it." She looked down at the book in Mal's lap and pulled it back over to her lap. Softly, she trailed her finger down the spine. "My father was known to embellish a childhood story when I was young, but he did that to make me laugh. He'd never have written an alternate story of my past if it wasn't true." She sighed.

"Why don't you want to believe us?" Henry asked quietly. "I know you have feelings for Ma." Regina's eyebrows shot up at her son's words making him chuckle. "You're not subtle with your glances and smiles at her. Before I got my memories back after New York, I thought you were exes that had broken up over a misunderstanding and you were pining to get back together. Then I found out you were with the thief and I got my memories back. I still thought there was something there though."

At the mention of Robin, Regina tensed. "Did he really say to you that there's no place for you in the family?"

Slowly, Henry nodded. "Yeah because I'm not blood related to you like Roland is to him," he sighed. "I know it's a load of rubbish now, but at the time it sucked. He wanted my blessing to marry you and I told him where to shove it because he hadn't earnt it. He never will in my opinion either. Even if I didn't want you to be with Ma, which I very much do, he would be the last on the list of who's worthy for my mom."

"I'm so sorry, Henry," she muttered as she pulled him close. He accepted the hug and the kiss on his temple before he pulled back. "I will never forgive him for saying that. _You_ are my family."

"I know," he replied. "I never doubted it from you. He's just a jackass." He sighed. "But for now, we need you to kiss Ma and fix everything. We can worry about that idiot later."

"You've said so yourself, Regina, you know the truth deep down," Mal murmured encouragingly.

Regina turned to Henry. "And you'd really be okay if your mother and I got together?"

"Definitely," he affirmed without any hesitation. "She's at home with Ally. Zelena is out with Ruby so she's alone. Go, Mom. Fix it."

With a shaky breath, Regina stood up and flattened her dress.

"You don't need to change," Mal chuckled, reading Regina's thoughts. "You could wear a flour sack and Emma would still find you attractive. Just go, it'll be fine."

Regina nodded and swallowed. "Wish me luck."

Henry walked over and took his mother's hands in his. "You don't need it. You can do this."

"Okay," she whispered and nodded again. "I'll see you later."

She took a deep breath and flicked her wrist, allowing herself to be carried away with her signature purple smoke.

When it cleared, she was face to face with Zelena's farm house. Her heart was in her throat and her pulse was beating so loudly it was as if a drummer was banging in her ear. However, she knew there was no time like the present as she reached out and knocked on the door.

A few moments later, the door was opened by the very familiar blonde.

"Regina?" Emma gasped in surprise. "What's wrong? Is it Henry?"

The Mayor couldn't help the small chuckle that escape that the role reversal of the other night when Emma had come over. Her heart melted a fraction hearing the worried tone in Emma's voice about their son.

"Can I come in?" Regina asked quietly. "I'd like to talk."

Emma glanced over her shoulder and saw that Ally was engrossed in the cartoons on the TV. She pulled the door a fraction wider and allowed the brunette in, leading them towards the kitchen.

"Drink?" Emma offered.

Regina nodded. "Just a tea please."

Emma set about making the drinks, her heart pumping nervously. Due to her anxiety, she dropped the spoon a couple of times and splashed milk over the side. However, she made the drinks without any injury which she was proud of.

Once they were done, she headed back over to the table and put them in the centre. She brushed her hair nervously behind her ear. "So, you wanted to talk?"

Regina took a sip of her tea and nodded. "I've been thinking," she began.

"Oh god, should I be worried?" Emma teased, unable to stop herself. Despite what could be coming, she wanted to put Regina at ease and making her laugh was a way to do it. "You know, I can almost see the cogs churning."

Regina rolled her eyes and couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. Emma had always been able to put her at ease, even when they were facing certain death. She looked at the blonde and truly saw her for the first time, allowing herself to feel what she'd been keeping deep down for years.

She really was in love with the blonde. She loved the way that Emma was so laidback which counteracted her uptight behaviour. Emma's laugh was melodic and she'd been known to snort when she found something truly funny, especially when the two had joined together to tickle Henry until he surrendered.

Despite everything that had happened to her in the past, though she knew she didn't know everything, well in this life, Emma was still ridiculously kind and put everyone before her. It was something Regina truly admired in her. When she'd seen Emma and Mal together, she had been jealous, but jealous of her friend that she'd been in Storybrooke a few hours and already got Emma. Boy was she wrong.

Above all, it was the way that Emma was around Henry, and Alexandra as an extension. When she saw Emma with Henry, she saw two big kids who adored each other but she also saw a fierce protectiveness over him. When she realised Alexandra was missing the other day, she knew she would stop at nothing to save her. Even though she couldn't remember, Regina could feel the relief that Alexandra was safe.

It was time she allowed herself to know the truth. In actual fact, she was hoping the kiss would work but if it didn't, at least she could say she finally kissed Emma Swan.

"Regina, everything okay?" Emma said quietly, pulling the Mayor out of her inner thoughts.

"Sorry," Regina murmured. "There are a lot of things going through my mind."

Emma smiled encouragingly. "Take your time."

Regina nodded and took a couple of sips of her tea to calm her down before she started her tale that she'd told Mal and Henry before.

"When Alexandra ran to me yesterday, I had a vision of comforting her in the past," she murmured. "I wanted to know more so I finally looked through the book you gave me. Then I found I remembered other things in Daddy's book that weren't in Henry's book," she revealed. "So I compared them and things weren't adding up. I remember sending my captain of the guards away, but Henry's book doesn't mention him leaving. In fact, Henry's book has depicted him as by my side when I interrupted Snow and Charming's wedding which I know for a fact wasn't the case. I just can't remember the reason why I sent him away and Daddy's book said it was to protect you." She glanced up and Emma nodded slowly. "Then my falling out with my uncle. That was you too, wasn't it?" Again, Emma nodded, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. "I came to the conclusion that my father wouldn't have written something that wasn't true and that book has my father written all over it."

"What are you saying?" Emma asked, wanting to know what page Regina was on before she got her hopes up.

Slowly, Regina stood up and walked to the side of the table Emma was sat at and pulled her from her seat until they were stood as close as they were the sat a few nights ago.

The Mayor swallowed thickly. "What I'm saying is that I believe you, Emma," she breathed. "I believe you. But there is something you need to know before anything happens." Emma's brow furrowed in confusion which Regina found ridiculously adorable. She took a deep breath before she revealed what she had been keeping a secret for a very long time, even from herself. "I'm in love with you, Emma."

"What?" Emma gasped, wanting to make sure she'd heard the brunette properly and it not be wishful thinking.

"I love you, Emma, and I've been denying it for a hell of a long time," Regina said. She reached up and cupped Emma's cheek. "I don't want to deny it anymore. Kiss me."

"What?" Emma repeated, her mind was completely numb at what she was hearing. She didn't know what was more mindboggling. The fact that Regina admitted that she loved her, without having her memories, or the fact she asked her to kiss her.

"Emma Swan, kiss me," Regina instructed, her thumb softly brushing over Emma's cheek.

Emma didn't reply. She simply placed her hands on Regina's hips and pulled the brunette to her. There was no hesitation as she sealed their lips together. They had barely brushed when a blast of bright white light emitted from the two of them, rippling across the town.

Finally, the curse had been broken.


	55. Chapter 55

Regina pulled back as the door to her memories blasted open and she saw flickers of her past flash before her eyes: meeting Emma for the first time, falling in love, finding out she was pregnant, giving birth to Alexandra, getting married and then reading the letter that Emma was pregnant.

"Emma!" Regina gasped as if the blonde hadn't been stood before her the entire time. "My Emma!"

"Ginny," Emma breathed, tears streaming down her face as Regina finally remembered her.

"I remember everything," she said before pulling Emma back in for another kiss, her fingers threading through Emma's long blonde locks. "I love you." She then dropped down to her knees and pulled up Emma's top before pressing a soft kiss to her stomach.

"Gin?" Emma asked, a little confused at the action.

"You had to tell me you were pregnant when I didn't remember," she replied as she stood back up. "But when you told me, I already knew I was the mother, somehow." She then gasped and reached up to her necklace and unfastened the chain to loose the ring. "I knew there was another meaning to this."

She held the ring up and Emma took it out of her hand and motioned for permission to place it back on Regina's finger. She nodded emphatically.

"Back where it belongs," Emma murmured, raising the hand and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina replied, pulling Emma into a deep kiss.

As the two pulled back, they heard Ally giggle at something on the television and Regina's eyes widened. She turned away from Emma but took hold of her hand, pulling her with her.

When they entered the living room, Alexandra glanced over and saw her mother and began to cry automatically as she believed Regina still didn't remember her.

"Alexandra!" Regina gasped as she rushed over to her daughter.

"Mommy?" Ally said questioningly.

"Yes, honey, Mommy," she said as she pulled her daughter to her. "I remember. I'm so sorry, Princess. I'm sorry I forgot but I remember now." She pulled back and pressed dozens of kisses over Ally's face making her giggle through her tears. "I love you, my darling. My Alexandra Charlotte."

Realising that her mother did remember, Ally hugged her tighter. "Mommy. I missed you! I love you!"

"I missed you too," Regina said, tears were flowing rapidly as she felt both utter happiness that she finally remembered her family and had them back, but also immense guilt over the fact that she had willingly chosen to forget them.

Emma teared up at the scene and went over to join her family. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and wife and smiled happily. All they needed now was Henry.

Just as they thought that, the door blasted open and Henry and Mal burst into the room.

"We saw the light!" Henry gasped before he took in the scene before him. "It worked!"

Regina pulled back from her girls. "It worked," she confirmed before opening her arm. "Now, join in the family hug."

Henry didn't hesitate as he rushed over and hugged his mothers and sister.

"You too, Mal," Emma added.

The dragon rolled her eyes but walked over and accepted the hug from the rest. After a few moments, it was time to pull back.

"Now we just need to sort out the thief," Mal muttered, ruining the moment.

"Let's not think of that for now," Regina replied, biting her lip. "I'll figure that one out later. However, I did end it with him when I saw him yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, he's nothing to me anymore. Not after how he treated you and Henry."

Emma's eyes darkened a fraction. "He's not going to be happy with this though, especially if you ended things with him," she muttered. "He's not going to take it sitting down. What if he hurts Ally? Or Henry?" She gasped in fear. "Or you?"

"Honey," Regina said softly, cupping Emma's face. Emma automatically leant into the touch, relaxing immediately. "It'll be okay." She smiled reassuring as she thumbed Emma's cheek. "Now, I want to take my family home."

Emma grinned, swooping in to steal another kiss from Regina. "Let me just text Zee and let her know where I am. I don't want her to be worried even though the whole town will have witnessed the light. Right?" She glanced at Mal who nodded.

"You couldn't miss it," she chuckled. "I'll head off and see you all tomorrow?"

"Come for dinner," Regina said, not leaving room for discussion. Mal nodded before flicking her wrist and disappearing in her black smoke.

Emma quickly sent her message to Zelena before taking hold of Henry and Regina's arms. Regina shuffled Ally in her arms, the tot hadn't let go of her since she walked into the room, and with a flick of her wrist, Regina transported her family back home, straight into the foyer.

"I'm gonna head up to my room," Henry murmured once the smoke cleared. "Give you some space. Want me to take Ally?" He then cocked his head to the side. "Where is she going to sleep?"

"Kid, you have about a hundred spare rooms, I'm sure we'll figure something out," Emma chuckled. She turned back to her wife and saw that Ally was still clinging onto her. She didn't want to get between them for now. "We've got her though, thank you."

Henry nodded. "Then goodnight." He kissed both of his mothers on the cheek and Ally on her forehead before heading up the stairs.

Emma turned to Regina. "That's a good point though. Where is she going to sleep?" She asked as she reached out and stroked Ally's hair. "She needs to go to bed soon, she's fighting it." As Emma spoke, Ally's eyes were fluttering shut but she was forcing them to stay open while yawning.

"I stay with Mommy," Ally murmured, wrapping her fingers in Regina's hair. "She rememebers!"

"I do," Regina said happily as she pressed a kiss to Ally's head. "But I'll still remember tomorrow and the day after that _and_ the day after that! You need to go to sleep, Princess. Shall I tuck you in?"

Ally beamed. It had been over three weeks since Regina had tucked her into bed and she missed it.

"Okay!" She cried before looking at Emma. "With Mama too?"

"Of course, baby girl," Emma assured her.

The three then made their way upstairs, Emma taking in everything she saw as she'd never been upstairs in the mansion before. Regina pointed out Henry's room before entering a slightly smaller room just two rooms down from it.

Flicking the light on, Emma saw the room was mostly empty apart from single bed in the corner.

"Roland stayed in here on the odd occasion," Regina explained. "Can you change up the bedding?"

Without any hesitation, Emma waved her hand over the room and swapped the bedding for what was currently on Ally's bed at Zelena's and also made sure her teddy dragon was central. Another wave of her hand and Ally was wearing her pyjamas.

"The bathroom is just next door, honey, and Henry is just next to that," Regina said as she placed the tot in the newly made bed. "If you need Mommy or Mama, we're just two doors that way, okay?" She pointed in the opposite direction to where Henry's room was.

Ally nodded slowly, her eyes already shutting as she laid in the comfy bed.

"Goodnight, Princess," Emma said quietly as she pressed a kiss to Ally's head with Regina repeating her actions. When they pulled back, they realised that Ally was already fast asleep.

Emma turned to her wife. "That's the quickest she's fallen asleep in days," she whispered, and Regina smiled sadly.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she started to tear up again.

Silently, Emma took Regina's hand and pulled her out of Ally's room. They kept the door slightly open so that she wouldn't feel trapped before Regina led Emma to her, well, now _their_ , bedroom.

Once inside, they shut the door and Emma pulled Regina to the bed. She ignored the temptation to stare around the room after never being in there before, but there would be time for that later.

They perched on the bottom of the bed, their fingers still laced together.

"I get why you did it," Emma murmured, breaking the silence. She looked up and saw that Regina was still crying silently. Reaching out, she wiped the tears away and cupped her cheek. "I can't imagine how it must have been."

"It was horrible," Regina whispered. "It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives. We were _finally_ married and then suddenly you were gone. _Both_ of you were gone and my happiness had been taken with it. I missed you every day, I could barely breath with it. It took a while before I let Daddy and Mal in, but even then, I couldn't speak." She glanced up at Emma who she noticed was also crying silently. "I am so sorry, my love. If I knew it was going to be so difficult when you came back, I'd have never done it. I should never have gotten with Robin. I should–"

Emma cut off whatever Regina was about to say with a soft kiss. "What's done is done," she said softly, kissing her again. "We can't change it. What's important is that it's over. We're together again." She paused for a second before waving her hand, her engagement ring appearing in her palm. "I took it off because it was too noticeable." Immediately, Regina took it out of Emma's hand and slipped it onto her finger, above her wedding ring that she'd never removed. "Where's your wedding ring?"

"I put it in my jewellery box," Regina muttered before she stood up and crossed the room to where she kept her jewellery.

Opening the box, she easily found the thin band. She'd overlooked it so many times, not remembering why it was in there, but she'd subconsciously known it was too precious to throw away and now she knew why. With it back in place on her finger, she made her way back over, sitting beside her wife once more.

"I love you so much," she said earnestly, leaning up to kiss Emma deeply, their tongues swiping against each other's for the first time, both moaning at the feeling. "God I've missed that."

"I've missed you," Emma said, "I love you so much. It was heart-breaking being able to see you, but you not remember. It cut deep and then the fact that you wouldn't let yourself remember," Emma shook her head sadly, "that hurt too. I mean, I thought we'd made a pact to always be honest with each other, even before I went back."

"I didn't want it to be true," Regina murmured quietly. "I got so lost in the story of having a Soulmate that I didn't see what was right in front of me. Robin was mostly wonderful with me and he was adorable with Henry, at first anyway. It seems it was when he wasn't with me, or when he was talking about me, when he showed true self." Her eyes darkened. "I swear, when I next see him, I will give him a piece of my mind. I will not forgive him for what he said about Henry. I mean, I told him I couldn't have children as I didn't know I was healed, but I said Henry was my everything. I cared about Roland even though he's not my son, but I see him that way," she admitted.

"You're a wonderful mother," Emma said softly.

"And I cannot wait for our next child," Regina replied as she reached out and pressed her hands against Emma's slightly rounded, but barely there, tummy. "Why didn't you tell me before the wedding?"

"You'd never have let me leave," Emma whispered. "You wouldn't have allowed us to get married, but we needed to."

"How far along are you?" Regina asked, not taking her eyes off Emma's belly, her fingers tracing it lightly, almost making Emma giggle at the tickling sensation.

"About fourteen weeks now," Emma replied before actually giggling when Regina's fingers slipped from her belly too her sides. She reached out and trapped Regina's hands under hers, lacing their fingers together. "You know what tickling does to me," she chuckled and Regina's eyes flashed for a whole different reason.

"You know I do," she said as she closed the gap, sealing their lips together. "And the fact that you're _pregnant_ with _my_ child makes me want you even more."

"Shouldn't we talk more about this?" Emma asking but she didn't pull away from Regina's demanding kisses, meeting them with the same power.

"Yes," Regina mumbled between kisses. She bit Emma's lower lip before releasing it with a pop, almost sighing in pleasure at the sound. "But in the morning after breakfast. We can call in sick."

Emma chuckled. "Love sick?"

Regina rolled her eyes, and Emma fell more in love at the familiar gesture. "We can talk it all over fully then," Regina said, pretending to have ignored her wife. "But for now, it's been well over thirty years since I've made love to you and I never got to do it as my wife." She closed the gap between them. "Please let me make love to you, Mrs Mills."

"Without any hesitation, Mrs Swan," Emma replied.

"We can figure our names out later," Regina chuckled before sealing their lips together.

The hunger was real. Their clothes were ripped off each other, Regina being slightly more gentle with Emma as if she was fragile, but Emma wasn't having it. In between pieces of clothing being launched across the room, the two were kissing, biting and licking all the newly revealed skin.

They were lying side by side, panting desperately when Regina suddenly waved her arms over the room.

"Sound proofing," she explained to Emma's confused expression. "I don't want our children hearing this."

Emma chuckled but the laughter was broken by Regina's lips attacking her neck with wet kisses, turning her laughter to moans. As typical, the two tried to outmanoeuvre each other, both trying to maintain dominance. Regina's passion was electric as she felt her wife underneath her for the first time in thirty years and wanted to make up for what she had done. For Emma, she was just glad to have her wife in her arms again.

After rolling around many times, Emma allowed Regina the victory. She opened her legs and Regina settled between them, kissing Emma's thin pale lips before her kisses moved down her jaw and nipping her favourite place behind her ear making Emma sigh.

"I love you," Regina whispered into her ear before nibbling on her lobe.

"I…love you…too," Emma husked out as she moaned at the sensation. She could feel her wife smirking into her neck at her reaction.

Regina's kisses and licks started making their way down the blonde's body, not leaving anywhere untouched. She spent an ample amount of time tenderly kissing and caressing Emma's breasts, grazing her teeth over her pebbled nipples, before trailing her tongue lightly down Emma's sides making her shiver in delight.

When Regina reached Emma's slightly swollen stomach, she pressed soft kisses along, taking a moment to appreciate the life they had made. Glancing up, saw that Emma was leaning on her elbows, looking down at her.

"Everything okay?" She asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Never better," Regina replied before going back to her task. She dipped her tongue in Emma's bellybutton, causing the blonde to flop back on the bed as that did things to her that she couldn't describe.

Finally, Regina was facing her prize, her mouth watered in anticipation as her favourite taste laid before her. Tantalisingly slowly, she leant forward and swiped her tongue through Emma's folds and she couldn't help the moan she emitted as she tasted her wife. It was a flavour she could never have forgotten.

Hooking her arms around the blonde's lips, she pulled her legs further apart and brought her face closer. She let her tongue swipe languidly through her, drinking down her exquisite taste.

"Baby," Emma whimpered breathlessly and Regina immediately knew what she wanted. In her ministrations, she'd missed the two places Emma needed her.

Regina shifted slightly before wrapping her lips around Emma's needy clit, sucking it into her warm mouth. She worked her tongue over and over in short licks varying the direction to keep Emma on her toes, not allowing her to her to get used to it.

Before long, Emma's moans and pants echoing around the room and her fingers were lacing through her wife's hair, pulling her face closer. Regina wasn't complaining. Slowly she unhooked one of her arms from Emma's hip and slipped two fingers deep inside and Emma was starting to see starts. Regina angled her fingers to press against Emma's front wall and pumped her fingers thrice more and sucked harshly on her clit making Emma crest powerfully, calling Regina's name out to the room. It was different not hearing it echo around the stone room, but nonetheless powerful.

"Baby, kiss me," Emma begged and Regina wasted no time and sliding up the bed and kissing her wife, allowing her to taste herself on her tongue. "I have missed you doing that too," she said breathlessly.

"It's only been a few weeks for you," Regina reminded her, raising her eyebrow teasingly.

"A few weeks too long!" Emma almost growled as she flipped the two over.

Like her wife, she spent time caressing her body, but not as gently. She added harsh nips here and there before soothing them with her tongue. She also bit her neck, leaving a mark. When she thought she'd nipped her breast too hard, she glanced up nervously, but Regina's bright smile and closed eyes told her that she didn't need to be worried.

Instead of working her way down like her wife had, Emma started trailing butterfly kisses up the centre of Regina's chest until she was hovering above her face. Feeling Emma watching her, Regina's eyes fluttered opened.

"Hi there," she whispered.

Emma smiled. "Hi," she whispered back before closing the gap between them.

As their lips touched, she slipped two fingers into her. Regina's back arched, pushing Emma's fingers deeper. She keened into the kiss, but Emma just swallowed it down. As Emma's fingers sped up, two soon becoming three, Regina's pants for breath prevented their kiss from continuing. Instead, they rested their foreheads together as Emma's hand increased its rhythm. When she brushed her thumb lightly across Regina's clit, she screamed silently as her climax over took her. Emma could no longer move her fingers as Regina's walls clamped around her.

When the former Queen finally released, Emma wasted no time in pulling her fingers out and concentrating her tips against Regina's neglected clit, her second orgasm chasing the first within minutes.

"Em," Regina gasped, pulling her wife down for another kiss. "My Emma."

"Always," Emma promised and she allowed her wife to roll her over to commence round two.

oOoOo

The two spent most of the night making passionate love until they fell asleep exhausted during the early hours of the morning. They were so dead to the world that they didn't hear Henry crashing around in the kitchen while he got himself some breakfast. It was a Sunday morning and usually he and Regina would have pancakes or waffles as a treat, but he didn't want to interrupt his mothers, especially not knowing what state they were in.

It was close to nine when Emma woke up to a timid knock on the door.

Bleary-eyed, Emma climbed out of bed, conjuring her dressing gown as she went. She opened the door to reveal a sleepy Ally. She was stood there yawning with her dragon in her hand.

"I'm hungy," Ally greeted.

"Well good morning to you too, Princess," Emma chuckled as she picked her up. "Shall we go make some breakfast?"

Ally nodded before glancing over to where Regina was still fast asleep in bed. Fortunately, the duvet was covering her naked body. "What about Mommy?"

"We can make her breakfast in bed," Emma suggested. "Does that sound good?"

Ally nodded and allowed her mother to take her to the kitchen.

Once they were there, Emma as at a loss. She had no idea where Regina kept anything or would keep things. Naturally, the Queen wasn't in charge of the kitchen in the castle and Emma had never dared enter as she didn't want to face the wrath of the chef. She could go ask Henry, but she wasn't sure if he was awake yet. As the child of Regina, he'd cleaned up his pots in the kitchen before returning upstairs.

"What would you like, baby?" Emma asked as she placed Ally softly down on one of the chairs.

"Pancakes?" The tot requested with hope in her voice.

"Sure," Emma nodded before looking back in panic until there was another voice behind her.

"Shall I show you where everything is kept?"

Emma turned and smiled at her wife. Regina's hair was still slightly messy from their night of passion and she was wearing the subtle smile that said, "I got laid last night". She was also in her dressing gown that was loosely tied, allowing Emma to see the gap between her breasts and her brain started to side-track.

"Em?" Regina said with a chuckle in her voice, knowing exactly where Emma's thoughts had gone.

Blinking rapidly, Emma nodded. "Yes please. Call Henry and see if he's awake."

Walking over, Regina pecked Ally on her forehead in greeting before walking to Emma and looping her arms around her waist. "He's already eaten," Regina said. "I popped into his room before I came down." She pecked Emma sweetly on her lips.

"Then let's get cooking," Emma said happily.

The two mothers easily found their rhythm in the kitchen as Emma whipped up a batch of pancakes and Regina prepared an array of fruits to go with them as she refused to feed Ally a breakfast of only carbohydrates and syrup.

Once breakfast was over and done with, it was time for the big conversation they knew was coming. Emma just hoped it would go smoothly.


	56. Chapter 56

After their breakfast items were cleared up, Regina called Henry downstairs.

"Morning Mom, Ma," he greeted with a bright smile. He thought seeing his mothers standing side by side in their dressing gowns in the kitchen would be odd the first-time round, but actually it felt right. Although he didn't want to know what had gone on earlier which meant they were only in dressing gowns. Usually Regina would be wearing at least some sort of pyjama underneath. "And good morning to you, Al Pal," he added as he bopped Ally on her nose.

Regina smiled at the scene, feeling a warm love stir as she watched her children interact properly for the first time. Her heart swelled with love and sheer contentment.

"Henry, could you look after your sister while your mother and I talk?" Regina asked, her voice slightly stuttering over the request with nerves of what was about to come.

"Sure," Henry agreed. He turned to his sister. "Shall we go watch Peppa Pig?" He asked and Ally's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Yes!"

Emma grinned at her kids and watched as Henry picked Ally up at her request and the two headed to the living room. Glancing at her wife, she saw Regina was standing nervously and she couldn't help the soft smile.

She crossed the room and looped her arms around Regina's waist. "You don't need to be so nervous, honey," she said softly. "It's just me."

Regina leant her forehead against Emma's. "I know," she replied. "I just don't like feeling like a fool and that's what's going to happen when I tell you everything."

Emma raised her eyebrow at the word and swallowed. Reaching out she tucked a loose strand of hair behind Regina's ear. "How about this, shall we go shower, separately, and then meet in the study in fifteen and we can talk it all over?" She suggested. "I'll use Henry's bathroom."

"Okay," Regina agreed.

The two headed upstairs and Regina showed her wife where the spare towels and toothbrushes were kept and how to turn on the fancy shower head and how to adjust the temperature.

"Got it," Emma said with a smile. She'd never seen so many dials on a shower, but she was looking forward to the waterfall shower. "I'll see you soon." She kissed Regina's anxious smile off her lips. "I love you."

Finally, Regina smiled warmly at her wife. "I love you too."

After a parting kiss, Regina left the room and headed to her own bathroom, leaving Emma to drop her dressing gown and head into the warm spray. Knowing she couldn't take forever, she tried to let the warm water relax her. It was working well. She washed her hair and body methodically so that she didn't start making presumptions about what was about to happen. She caressed her belly softly and smiled at the life that was growing.

Before long, she couldn't put off getting out of the shower. She turned it off and stepped out, wrapping herself in a luxurious cream towel that felt like a warm hug. She dried her body and conjured up a comfortable outfit of her favourite jeans and a slightly oversized t-shirt as the weather was getting warmer. After towel drying her hair, she hung the towel on the wrack and headed downstairs.

It didn't surprise her that Regina was already waiting in her study. She'd already cleared up the mess she had made while looking through her father's and Henry's storybooks. The sheets of paper were hidden in a cupboard and the two books were still lying on the coffee table. Her hair and makeup were done to perfection and she was wearing a sleek black dress that hugged her curves. She looked beautiful.

"Hey," Emma greeted as she sat beside her wife. "You look amazing."

Regina blushed. "Thank you, so do you."

Emma glanced down at her clothes and raised her eyebrow at her wife. Regina rolled her eyes.

"You look comfortable, it suits you," she said.

"You make me comfortable," Emma revealed with a smile. She leant in and kissed Regina sweetly, happy when she responded immediately.

When they broke apart, Regina handed Emma a letter and her heart started to beat frantically.

"These aren't divorce papers, are they?" She asked, panicked.

"No!" Regina gasped, grasping Emma's hand. "Of course not. I've only just got you back, I'm never letter you go again."

At the words of reassurance, Emma tried to calm down. She concentrated on Regina's thumb softly caressing her skin. She nodded and swallowed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Regina murmured. "This is the reason I held onto Robin so much."

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion before she slipped the letter out of the envelope. She should have realised it wasn't divorce papers as the paper was actually parchment that she'd seen and used in the Enchanted Forest.

She didn't need Regina's quiet comment of, "it's from my father," to know who it was from. She could recognise Henry Senior's handwriting anywhere.

With a deep breath, Emma began to read.

 _My dearest Regina,_

 _I know the time is coming for you to cast your curse and I know that my life will be on the line. I have tried to stop you but alas, it wasn't to be. However, I wanted you to know that if my life was the cost of your happiness, I would give it to you willingly._

 _You are the light of my life and it fills me with such sorrow that your heart is not filled with the love you deserve, but I promise you, my darling daughter, there is a love out there for you that will fill you with so much happiness that you will think it's not real._

 _I know this person of whom I speak. We met long ago. They have beautiful blonde hair and dazzling eyes that you will not be able to tear yourself away from. They have a child that you will adore with all of your soul and a past that you will see yourself in._

 _Together you will have a life full of love that you desire. You will be happy. I'm willingly giving you my life so that you can have the life you deserve._

 _Please do not look back on this in sorrow for I look forward to your life full of joy, love and happiness._

 _I love you, my Regina, and wish you the happiest of lives for yourself and with your True Love and tell them I say hello._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Daddy._

Emma looked up from the letter with her eyes full of tears. Reading Henry's moving words always filled her with love. She looked up at Regina who was biting her lips.

"I thought he was talking about Maleficent at first," Regina murmured. "Blonde hair and nice eyes."

"But she doesn't have a child?" Emma said softly. "Does she?"

Regina shook her head. "No, she doesn't. So when I met Robin, I took Daddy's words and pushed them onto him," she whispered. "He said he'd met my father years ago, I didn't know at the time it was when he shot an arrow through his arm." She swallowed. "And he has blonde hair and nice eyes. He had Roland and a dark past where he wanted redemption. I just wanted my father to be right and I lost myself in it, not allowing myself to believe there was another person out there who fit the description." Regina reached out and pulled the letter from Emma's slightly shaking hands, replacing it with her own hands. "You are the one with the beautiful blonde hair and the dazzling eyes that I lose myself in whenever I look at them. You're the one with the child that I love with my own soul, Henry was that child." She smiled softly. "And Daddy says hello."

At that, Emma let the tears fall as Regina confirmed again that they were True Loves.

"I love you," Emma breathed, overcome with emotion. "I completely understand why you thought your father meant him. I'm just glad we have each other now." She pulled Regina's face to her and rested their foreheads together. "You're everything to me, Regina, you always have been and always will be. I'm never letting you go." She kissed her passionately. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"Forever," Regina promised, leaning in and kissing Emma once more.

Their kiss was rudely broken off when there was a knock on the door. Emma pulled back and her eyes widened in shock, convinced that it was going to be Robin at the door. However, he would have just walked in.

Regina's brow furrowed and went to answer the door when it turned out Henry had beaten her to it.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" He cried, confusion laced in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Is your mother here?" Snow asked, ignoring him. "I mean Emma, not Regina."

Henry hesitated, not knowing if he was allowed to give away her position so Emma stood up and headed into the foyer. For once, her parents were stood there without Neal's pram.

"Hi," Emma said softly, looking at her parents.

"Emma!" Snow cried as she ran over. She flung her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly. Too tightly.

"Mary Margaret, you're hurting me!" Emma gasped out.

"Get your hands off my wife," Regina instructed as she made her way over.

Immediately, Snows hands released Emma's body as if she'd been electrocuted. Emma was only half convinced that Regina hadn't zapped her.

"Wife?" Snow repeated.

Emma nodded. She encouraged Regina to walk over and she took hold of her hand.

"We're married, like I said," Emma said as calmly as she could. "Everything I told you was true."

"I remember you," Snow replied. "You saved me…twice." She bit her lip nervously. "I thought you were my guardian angel." Her eyes then widened. "I named you after yourself!" She then cracked up laughing. "Now we'll never know where your name came from."

Charming joined in his wife's laughter and Emma felt Regina's hand squeeze hers, clearly not comfortable with the two in her house.

"Where's Neal?" Emma asked.

"With Ruby," Charming replied. "We needed to talk to you about everything and I didn't think him being here would help."

"What is there to talk about?" Regina questioned.

Henry's head flicked between his mothers and his grandparents and rocked on his feet anxiously. He hoped that his mothers being together would finalise any truce they held.

"We have some things we'd like to discuss," Charming said calmly. "Please."

Regina was reluctant and glanced at Emma who nodded. "Better to get it over and done with now." She shrugged before looking at Henry. She hadn't even opened her mouth when he smiled.

"I'll keep Ally entertain," he said, predicting his mother's words. "Let me just get some juice and I'll turn Peppa Pig up so she won't hear anything."

Emma and Regina grinned at their son and smiled their thanks.

Regina turned to her now in-laws. "We'll talk in the study."

The four headed into the aforementioned room with each couple taking up one sofa. Regina waved her arm and produced a tray of tea, automatically making hers and Emma's how they liked them. It was up to the Charmings to make their own.

They were all silent at first, Regina refusing to break it as she was the one who least wanted to be there. Emma and her father didn't really know what to say so it rested on Snow to begin.

She sipped her tea and coughed to clear her throat.

"I suppose I owe you an apology," she murmured quietly as she looked up at her daughter.

Unable to help it, Emma raised her eyebrow at the comment. Regina smirked in pride at her wife's action, squeezing her hand unconsciously which made Emma smile.

"You suppose?" Emma repeated making Snow sigh.

"I apologise," Snow said exasperatedly. "I should have believed you when you said that Regina was Alexandra's mother. I just didn't think it was possible. I mean, you two hated each other! How could you suddenly have had a child and to have her during the Evil Queen's reign?"

"You gave her the title, Mary Margaret," Emma said quietly, not raising to Snow's bate. "She was nothing but kind and loving to me when I was there. She's my True Love, that's how it's possible for us to have children together."

"Children?" Charming repeated, proving that he wasn't quiet as airheaded as people believed him to be.

Emma bit her lip and glanced at Regina. Her face was impassive, but she nodded slightly. It was barely there, the Charmings wouldn't have picked up on it, but Emma did.

With a deep breath, Emma turned back to her parents. "I'm pregnant."

Snow and Charming's mouths both dropped at the revelation and it was Charming who recovered first.

"Congratulations!" He said. He rose from the sofa and leant over the small coffee table to kiss Emma's cheek. He went to repeat his actions to Regina, but her glare shot him back down. He retreated hastily and return to his seat. Emma couldn't help the small chuckle. "That's brilliant news, isn't it, Snow? We get to be grandparents again!"

"Neal will barely be one when the baby is born!"

Regina's eyes flashed. "Snow White, when will you realise that you have two children!" She snapped, losing it. "You should care about Emma just as much as you do about Neal."

"Well whose fault is it that she was taken away from me!" Snow yelled.

The two former family members stood up and faced off. Emma quickly stepped between the two of them.

"Both of you, calm down, please and take a seat," she snapped.

Snow did so immediately, but Regina took a little longer, holding her glare. Emma, for once, ignored her wife and turned to her parents.

"Look, Regina is right," she sighed. "You both seem to either ignore the fact that I'm your daughter or you want me to call you Mom and Dad. You can't have it both ways. David," she turned to her father, "we get on so well because you don't try and act like a father all the time. We're friends and colleagues and right now, that's what I want. Mary Margaret," Emma turned to her mother and shut her eyes for a moment as she inhaled. She opened her eyes to see Snow biting her lip. "Look, we got on so well when you didn't know you were my mother, then you got on your high horse after the curse ended and started bossing me around because you thought that was what a mother was supposed to do. I have my own kids, I know how to be a mother and it's not that. I'm not saying I don't want my parents in my life, I do, but I need it to be at my speed. What I definitely will not accept, is the two of you holding this against my wife." She glanced Regina and couldn't help the smile that graced her lips when she saw Regina looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered. "Regina is my wife, whether you like it or not. We're a family with our kids and another on the way who we're so excited to meet." She looked back at her parent. "What we need from you now is your help and protection."

"What from?" Charming asked, his need to protect his daughter and family coming on full force.

Regina was the one to reply. "From Robin," she said quietly. "He won't be happy that the curse is broken and that Emma and I are together. I ended things with him two days ago and he's been sulking ever since from what I've heard from people around town."

"He'll be planning something," Charming muttered. "But I'll make sure that you're all protected." He glanced at Emma. "As your father and friend, I promise to protect you."

Emma smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you." She looked at her mother. "Mary Margaret? You've been awfully quiet for the last few minutes."

Snow's head snapped up and Emma saw that she was borderline tearing up. "I'm a terrible mother," she whispered.

"No, you're not," Regina murmured, surprising everyone in the room. "You're learning." She sighed. "You're right, it is my fault that you never got to bring Emma up and it's my fault that Emma wasn't brought up by her mother."

"Honey," Emma said but Regina held up her hand.

"Let me finish, please," she requested and Emma nodded, allowing her to continue. "I'll be sorry every day for that but there's nothing I can do to change it all now. We are all," she swallowed, "family." Her reluctance over the word made Emma chuckle. "We should put the past behind us for _everything_."

Snow looked up at Regina understanding the meaning behind her words. Not only was the former Queen was apologising for going after Snow and cursing them to Storybrooke, but she was implying that she was forgiving Snow for blabbing her secret relationship with Daniel to Cora.

"You're right," Snow murmured and Emma heard her wife's silent comment of, "as always," without evening having to look at her. "We are a family and should behave like it. We may not be a normal family," she couldn't help the chuckle, "but we are nonetheless. It's going to take some getting used to that my former step-mother is married to my daughter and impregnated her, but I promise to try."

"That's all we ask," Emma added.

Charming then stood up slightly abruptly. "Then while we're on a good note, I think it's time for us to go, Snow."

Snow stood too and followed her husband to the foyer. They called their goodbyes to Henry who shouted them back and they bid a slightly awkward goodbye to Emma and Regina. Emma hugged her parents with Regina staying far back.

Once they left, both Emma and Regina released a deep breath they hadn't known they were holding.

"That was…" Emma trailed off as she couldn't think of the word.

"Intense," Regina finished.

Emma nodded and the two entered the living room to join their kids. As soon as Ally saw her mothers, she leapt up from the sofa and practically jumped into Regina's lap as she sat down making her laugh.

"I wish I could have a glass of wine," Emma sighed which earned her a raised eyebrow from both her wife and her son.

"Ma, it's not even ten!" Henry chastised with a laugh.

"Not even that, you can't drink when you're pregnant!" Regina scolded and Ally giggled as she watched her mother get in trouble.

"I said I wish," Emma defended, holding her arms up. "Sheesh!"

Her phone then dinged in her pocked. A text from Zelena.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked as she saw a shift in Emma's expression.

"Nothing particularly," Emma replied. "It's from Zee. She's just wanting to know how everything's going and if she still has a roommate."

"No, she doesn't," Regina said firmly. "You two are moving in here where you belong."

"Really?" Ally asked, understanding what her mother was saying. "We stay here with you and Hen Hen?"

"Really, baby," Regina assured her, bopping her nose. "You are my family and I've been without you for far too long." She then shifted Ally before standing up with the tot firmly attached on her hip. "That's how we're going to spend our Sunday. We're going to decorate Alexandra's room however she wants and we're going get all your clothes here."

Emma beamed as she also stood. She looped one arm around Regina's waist and kissed her temple. "I love it. What do you say, Kid?"

Henry pressed the remote on the TV and joined with mothers where the stood by the sofa. "Let's get started."

Despite what Regina said, there wasn't really much Henry could do in the way of helping Emma and Regina as they did the moving magically. It was his job to keep his sister distracted. After Regina had asked her what she wanted, Ally was allowed to go. She and Henry sat at the kitchen table with Ally colouring in and Henry getting on with some homework.

Emma and Regina magically created a princess party in Ally's room as she requested. Ever Regina's daughter, she wanted her room to be decorated in many different shades of purple and Regina conjured up some more dresses while Emma sorted out her own wardrobe in their room. Regina had had to spend a little bit of time clearing some space for her.

Now that Henry didn't have a need to stay at Zelena's house, Emma also moved his clothes from there into his bedroom at the mansion. As much as she was ridiculously excited to simply be living there as a family, she was looking forward to sharing a roof with her son again.

It took them most of the day, breaking off now and then to hang out with their kids, but they finally got everything finished. Ally's bedroom was now fit for a princess and Emma had all of her clothes in Regina's wardrobe.

The activities officially ended with Regina handing Emma a key. "So you can get in without magic," she said. "Welcome home, Emma Swan-Mills."

"Swan-Mills?" Emma repeated. She had called Alexandra that when she had first been born but wasn't aware that Regina had heard it. "Where did you come up with that?"

"I suggested it," Henry said from the sofa behind them. "I've been calling all of this Operation Swan-Mills and told Mom about it when you were sorting lunch. I like it."

"I thought of it back in the Enchanted Forest when she was first born," Emma revealed as she glanced at Alexandra.

"Like mother, like son," Regina murmured with a bright smile. She used to hate the fact that Henry was so like Emma sometimes, but now she couldn't be happier about it.

"Emma, Regina, Henry and Alexandra Swan-Mills," Emma said. She couldn't hide the bright smile and the happiness she felt. "I love it."

However, all the happiness they felt at that moment couldn't last forever, right?


	57. Chapter 57

The family were found later sitting together on the sofa. Regina was sitting with one arm wrapped firmly around her wife and the other around Ally who was pretty much lying on her lap. Henry was sitting with his toes tucked underneath Emma's legs for some contact but not too much. Regina and Ally were watching Emma and Henry battle each other on a PlayStation game. The Mayor had no clue which one it was, though she had suggested a milder one for Ally's eyes.

Alexandra was baffled at it all as she had grown up without modern technology. She'd gotten her head around standard TV but now that her mother and brother were controlling what was going on, she couldn't quite handle it. She kept asking different questions that Regina tried to answer, making the two who were playing laugh because she was usually wrong. Henry kept having to answer the questions while trying to focus on the screen. However, the game was interrupted when the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Mal," Regina said. She glanced down to Ally, who had fallen asleep in the last few minutes due to the exciting day, before turning to Emma. "Can you get it please? I don't want to move her."

Emma nodded and pressed a few buttons on her console so that Henry could continue playing on his own, knowing that Regina didn't have a clue how to play. Once done, Emma headed into the foyer and opened the door. However, she wasn't just greeted by Maleficent.

"Congratulations!" Came the shout of everyone.

After a quick glance, Emma saw that Mal had brought the rest of the members of Operation Phoenix with her with a couple of additions. Rumple was standing sheepishly behind his wife as if reluctant to be there and Emma saw Hook beaming with an equally ecstatic Lina to his right.

"Can we come in?" Zelena asked.

"Of course!" Emma affirmed, stepping back and allowing the gang to enter.

At the noise, Regina entered to see what was going on and her eyes saw Rumple immediately. They narrowed immediately in distrust.

"I come in peace!" He said, holding his hands up in surrender just as he had to Emma and Zelena a couple of weeks ago.

Regina crossed her arms and scoffed. "Like hell, Rumple. You wouldn't know peace if it hit you in the face."

The Dark One's face flushed in embarrassment. "I owe you an apology," He announced, surprising his former student. "I shouldn't have made you cast the forgetting curse."

"No, you shouldn't," Regina agreed before she sighed. "Look, I'll allow this truce or whatever, if you promise never to hurt my family again or come near my children with an intention to harm them."

Rumple nodded solemnly. "I wouldn't dream of it. Not when your daughter is going to have great power and not to mention the one Miss Swan is currently carrying."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

To her surprise, it was Emma who replied. "Blue said that the baby is going to be pretty powerful. They were made by True Love and being carried by the product of True Love."

"The baby carries so much light magic, she's going to be extraordinary," Rumple added. "I do not want to be on the wrong side of that."

Regina chuckled when she saw the true fear in the Dark One's eyes. "Then I'll accept your truce, but you know my warning."

"I've taken them to heart," Rumple assured her.

Henry then walked into the foyer with Ally on his hip. He looked at his mom. "She wanted you," he said as an explanation. Regina took her daughter out of her son's arms and Henry glanced around in confusion. "What is everyone doing here?"

"We're here to celebrate the curse ending," Zelena said with a smile.

Henry cocked his head to the side. "It didn't affect you?"

"Well we're celebrating anyway," Ruby added. She held up the bags she and Hook were carrying. "We've brought food from Granny's and Lina has brought dessert from the bakery."

At the mention of her name, Emma glanced at the petite blonde. "How does it feel to remember?" She asked.

Lina smiled up at Killian. "Wonderful, but God do I feel stupid for it. I rejected Killian when he asked me out and I was dating some idiot that I hated back in the Enchanted Forest. It all got a bit odd for me, but Esmeralda got to stay with Phoebus? How unfair is that?"

Emma glanced at Regina who blushed. "I couldn't make all the decisions for everyone," she said, raising her free arm in defence. "There were far too many people. At least you got to stay with your friends."

"Let's not get into anything like that," Belle interrupted, sensing the conversation darkening. She also didn't want to remember the almost thirty years she'd been locked in the hospital. Sure, she'd forgiven Regina for it now, but the memories were still there.

"Yeah, let's eat!" Ruby added looking at Emma, silently asking her to lead the way to the dining room.

The blonde did so, leading the troop in and asking Henry to help her set up the room. Once the foyer was cleared, it was just Mal and Regina still there.

"What happened to just you coming for dinner?" Regina asked with her eyebrow raised.

Mal chuckled. "They're a force to be reckoned with. I didn't want to lie when Zee asked me what my plans were tonight," she replied as she reached out to bop Ally's nose in greeting, smiling when the tot giggled. "Besides, they've been invested in this moment for the past few weeks and it's all finally happened. They want to share this moment with each other and with you. Will you deny them of that?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I'm just not used to being surrounded by so many people and them not yelling or planning to kill me," she revealed with a heavy sigh.

"It's time to," Mal said softly. "Everyone in there adores that wife of yours and they want her to be happy and that's with you." She shrugged. "So they'll be happy for you too. Plus, Zelena wants to get to know her sister better. It's okay to let yourself be happy, you know."

"It's my fault that everyone was unhappy though," Regina said sadly as she frowned.

"Mommy, be happy," Ally instructed as she saw her mother's frown. She reached up and pressed a wet kiss on her cheek which made her smile.

"You're right, Ally," Mal agreed. "Be happy, Gina. It's easier than you think."

"Easy!" All repeated making the adults chuckle.

"Exactly. Now, let's go join that misfit family of ours," Mal instructed and Regina nodded, allowing her friend to lead them into the dining room where everyone else was already digging into their food.

The head of the table was left empty along with the seat to its right where Emma was used to Regina and Mal sitting. Emma herself was sitting to Regina's left as always but instead of having Henry Senior, she had her Henry beside her. Everyone else was dotted around the table with Rumple sitting at the end.

Regina glanced down over everyone and couldn't quite believe it. None of them were sending her sideway glares, they were all grinning and bonding over the food that Ruby had brought and it was aplenty.

The table was covered in several varieties of sandwiches, crisps and fries along with different sauces and dips. Lina had also set up the desserts of pastries. Emma already munching happily on a bear claw before she'd even had her mains.

This is what family looked like Regina thought to herself as she looked over everyone. She also realised that it was what happiness looked like too. She reached out and squeezed Emma's thigh causing the blonde to look up.

"I love you," she whispered so that only Emma could hear her. She smiled when she saw Emma's dopey lovey face that was reserved for Regina.

"I love you too," she whispered back. She leant over and pecked her wife softly on the lips before leaning back

"That's a point," Henry pipped up. "Are you legally married here?" He asked.

"I believe so," she replied. "All binding marriages were brought from the Enchanted Forest, I only made sure that Snow and Charming were parted. Everyone else got to stay with their spouse." She looked up at Rumple, wondering if he could provide anything further.

"The marriage was binding," he said with a nod. "They were marked officially married before the portal opened. Everything was documented so legally they are married."

"We just didn't get to have the after party," Emma said with a shrug and Ruby's eyes lit up.

"That'll be my job!" She cried happily making both Emma and Regina roll their eyes. "Oh god, you two definitely have been together too long if you're copying her actions, Emma."

Emma glanced at her wife and smiled softly. "Not long enough in my eyes."

Regina's eyes filled with love and warmth at Emma's words and she leant into her before continuing with her meal.

Before long, the group slowly made their way home. Belle and Rumple were the first to leave as Regina was only comfortable with having him there for so long. She had asked Emma to hint to Belle who understood completely. The Dark One hugged his grandson goodbye before they left.

Hook and Lina were the next to leave as they wanted to spend some time together. Lina made Emma promise to go to the bakery the next day as Esmeralda and Laverne were dying to see her. Emma promised immediately as she missed her friends and couldn't wait to catch up with them.

Mal, Ruby and Zelena stayed back for another drink after Ally had been put to bed. It was the first evening Zelena and Regina had really spent together since their truce, so Emma and the others left them to have a quiet conversation in the corner. No one was sure what they were talking about but whatever it was looked like it needed to be said. Emma smiled as she saw her love and friend make peace.

Henry headed to bed around eleven as he was pretty tired, leaving the adults to gossip.

"So how has it all been since Regina remembered?" Ruby asked over her cider.

To mark the occasion, Regina had brought out one of her recent batches, allowing Ruby and Zelena to try it as they hadn't before. Both approved and Ruby was eyeing up the decanter so that she could take it home. Unbeknownst to her, Regina charmed the bottle so that it couldn't leave the house.

"It's been amazing," Emma replied happily. "Just seeing the spark in her eyes when she looks at me again and watching her with Alexandra is everything. We've picked up right from where we left, definitely in the honeymoon stage." She laughed when Ruby waggled her eyebrows before becoming serious. She sighed. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen with Robin."

"We won't let him hurt you, Em," Mal said softly, resting her hand on Emma's arms in support. "He's got a witch and dragon get through plus the Dark One, a wolf and a father with a sword before he even gets to you two. Even then, you two are the most powerful sorceresses ever. He doesn't stand a chance."

"But he won't stop, I don't think," Emma murmured with a shrug as she sipped her cocoa. With the baby, she wasn't able to have the cider. She glared at the rest of them in jealously as it was one of her favourite drinks. "I don't get why he needs to be with Regina, I mean I get why he wants to; she's flawless and the most amazing, beautiful and kindest woman in the world. It would be hypocritical of me if I was confused as to why he wanted her, but I don't get why he thinks he has a right to be with her."

"I reckon it's the Soulmate thing," Ruby replied. "That's what he thinks his right is."

Emma bit her lip and she thought over it. "But I'm her True Love. That counts for more, surely?" She glanced up at Mal, hoping the dragon would have some words of wisdom.

"You're right," she affirmed. "True Love conquers all. Actually, I've never head of someone who has a different Soulmate to True Love in the relationship factor. Your Soulmate doesn't have to be your partner, but it's odd that it seems to be for Regina."

Emma sighed as she sipped her water and chose not to concentrate on what Mal had said. "We'll just have to figure out a way to stop him when he does come."

"We'll make him," Ruby assured her. "It's like Mal said, you have everyone here protecting you."

Emma shrugged before she decided to change the conversation, not wanting to talk about Robin anymore. Preferably ever again. "Just like you have Zelena?" Emma asked smirking as Ruby blushed.

The wolf glanced over at the Witch who felt her gaze and the two smiled sweetly as they made eye contact before turning back to their companions.

"Shut up," Ruby muttered when she saw Emma's smirk broaden at the loving glances.

Mal watched the exchange and then frowned.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, reaching out to squeeze Mal's knee.

"Nothing," she replied quickly but Emma saw through her. Instead of reply, she just raised her eyebrow making Mal sigh. "I suppose everyone is pairing off and I'm the odd one out. I didn't mind so much when it was just you and Regina but now it's everyone."

"There will be someone out there for you," Emma said. "It's like I said to Ruby, everyone has someone out there for them. It just might take time."

"You're making me sound like a bitter old lady," Mal replied as she rolled her eyes.

"If the shoe fits, Grandma," Emma joked and Mal nudged her but before she could reply, Regina and Zelena were making their way over. The Witch said she was going to get off and asked Ruby if she wanted to join. The wolf didn't hesitate and the two bid their goodbyes before heading out of the house with a smile.

Finally, it was the three of them left.

"I suppose I should get off too," Mal murmured. "It's getting late."

"You're not going anywhere with a frown on your face," Regina murmured as she took Ruby's recently vacated seat beside Emma. "What's the matter?"

Mal bit her lip and Emma realised that she wasn't going to admit it.

"Mally over here is feeling a bit left out in the love department," Emma said. "There's always Robin," she joked and she felt Mal's zap before she notice her arm outstretched. "Ow! Pregnant lady over here."

Mal rolled her eyes. "You're fine, it was mild."

"Children," Regina chastised with a chuckle before becoming serious. She looked at her friend. "There are plenty of people here. Your True Love will be out there waiting for you."

"Maybe," Mal replied with a shrug. She lifted her glass to her mouth and drained the remainder of her cider. "I'm going to head off and next time you invite me to dinner, I promise I'll only bring myself." She chuckled before she stood up and stretched her back.

"Okay," Regina said and she and Emma stood too to walk the dragon to the door.

After a round of hugs and goodbyes, Mal headed into the night and Emma and Regina headed to bed. They popped their head into Ally's room to check on her and found her fast asleep. They chose not to peak into Henry's room now that he was getting older.

Once in their room, they both stripped down to nothing and slipped into the sheets. Emma automatically opened her arm to allow her wife to settle in. Regain shuffled so she could rest her head on Emma's shoulder and she brought her arm up to draw light circles on her wife's tummy.

"You and Zee looked like you were having a serious conversation," Emma murmured quietly.

"We've promised to start behaving more like sisters," Regina replied softly. "We haven't really ever acted like sisters but with the two of you being so close and her dating Ruby, who's your best friend, she's going to be here a lot. We were being civil before but we're definitely going to try." She glanced up at her wife. "She said you gave her some of Mother's diaries?"

Emma nodded slowly. "I may have found them in a secret bookshelf in the castle and hidden them in the crypt so that you'd definitely bring them with you," she said as she bit her lip, nervously awaiting Regina's response.

However, the Mayor just chuckled. "Do I even want to know how many times you snuck in there when you weren't supposed to?" She raised her eyebrow which made Emma blush.

"Nope," she replied. She ducked her head so that she could seal their lips together in a sweet kiss.

Regina pulled back suddenly. "Were you in there a couple of weeks ago by any chance?"

Emma's eyes widened at the 180 of the conversation. "What makes you say that?"

"Henry was trying to keep me from going in," Regina revealed. "He was doing all sorts of odd things. He wanted me to teach him how to make risotto and then he wanted to teach me how to play his play contraption thing when normally we both do those things separately."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma said, avoiding eye contact with her wife at all costs.

"Emma Swan-Mills!" Regina cried, her voice thick of laughter. She reached up and pulled Emma's chin gently until she was looking Regina in the eye. "You were in my vault. Sneaky, why?"

Realising the game was up, Emma admitted defeat. "Well I had to get the diaries after hiding them in there," she said, "plus we were looking for some of Cora's books so we could try and find how to resurrect a dragon."

Regina was quiet. "Why didn't you come to me to help you get Mal back?" She asked. "She said you needed me initially until you found a way to work found it."

"I didn't want to be a burden to you," she admitted. "You were already annoyed with me about saying that you were my wife and that we had Alexandra together. I didn't want to add to that with my knowing Mal to confuse you even further."

The Mayor teared up at hearing the sadness in Emma's voice. She reached out and cupped her face. "I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to come back and me to not remember," she muttered sadly. She blinked and let a couple of tears fall.

Emma immediately reached out to stop them. "Don't cry, baby," she whispered.

"But you didn't deserve that," Regina cried, not letting the tears stop. "You're the most amazing woman. You're kind, funny, beautiful, intelligent, loyal, brave and so much more. You're everything I'm not. I don't deserve you, Emma. I didn't when I was the Evil Queen and I definitely don't now. Not when I'm tainted after Robin–"

"You're not tainted!" Emma said firmly, cutting her wife off from what she was about to say. "You're all of those things too. You just did what you thought was right at the time to stop the pain. We needed you to do that otherwise none of this would have happened. As much as I hate the fact you were with him, you needed to be. Everything happens for a reason, Ginny, whether we like it or not. We don't need to know the reason for it." She took a deep breath before wiping away her own tears that were falling. "And no, I guess I didn't deserve to watch my wife walk around with a man who treated her and our son like shit, but you also didn't deserve to have a portal open up on your wedding day to take your wife and daughter away. Shit happens, unfortunately. Life is what you make it. It's made up of moments that you want to flash before your eyes before you die and Gin, my moments are with you, Ally and Henry."

"I don't deserve you," Regina sobbed. She rolled over so that she could cry into her pillow and Emma immediately followed her, wrapping her arm tightly around the brunette.

"Yes, you do. Regina, turn around, please." She backed off to give Regina some space to turn.

Slowly, Regina did as requested. She looked up saw that Emma was sobbing just as much as she was.

"Oh honey," she whispered when she saw how affected Emma was by all of this. "I'm sorry."

"I missed you every single day, every minute of every hour. Not a second went by that I didn't miss you and want you back," she swallowed. "But we're together now and that's what's important. You're not tainted, you're human and that's perfectly okay."

"You're perfect," Regina said. "You're my perfect Emma."

Emma chuckled at the comment. "I don't know much about perfect, but I'm definitely yours." She closed the gap between them and kissed Regina firmly. "I know this won't be the last time we speak about this, and that's alright, but I'll always tell you the same thing. I love you with every fibre of my being, as cliché and cringy as that is but I do. Nothing will stop me. No curse, no story and definitely no stupid forest fart." Regina chuckled at the new nickname. "You're my wife, the mother of my children and my True Love. To me, that's all I need."

"You're all I need," Regina repeated. "You and our children." She brought her hand up to press gently against Emma's small baby bump. "I'm never going anywhere again," she promised as she brought her lips back to Emma's before slowly climbing over her wife to deepen the kiss. "I love you too, my Emma."

 _A/N: Quick question, who would you love to see Maleficent with? I think our dragon needs some love and I'd love to hear your suggestions! Love, Emss x_


	58. Chapter 58

The fact that the curse had been broken was wide spread across the town. Even though Emma hadn't seen everyone in the town while she was in the past, everyone was affected because there were knock on effects from her being there. The people who had seen her walking through their village had even that minute experience with her wiped away. So when she headed on her patrol the next morning, she had many more glances in her direction than before, though no one came up to talk to her.

She was cautions on her patrol, convinced that Robin, or one of his Merry Men, was going to be waiting for her, wanting to catch her off guard but she never saw a whisper of him. When she returned to the station afterwards, she released a sigh of relief.

"Everything alright, Swan?" Hook asked. He was perching on his chair, his feet on the desk and his phone in his hand.

"Yeah," Emma responded as she walked over. She nudged his feet with her hips, making them fall off. "No feet on the desk," she chastised. "Could you imagine Regina's reaction if she walked in and saw you sitting like that, doing nothing?"

"I'm more than used to the Sheriff and her deputies not doing anything," said a familiar voice, accompanied by the sound of her signature heels tapping on the hardwood floor. "It's nothing new."

Emma turned around and beamed at her wife's appearance. It had never been unusual for Regina to turn up unannounced to spy on the police station to see if the staff, or more importantly Emma, were doing their jobs. However, since Emma had returned, the Mayor had been keeping her distance. Emma was ecstatic that Regina's visits had apparently recommenced.

"Good morning, Madam Mayor," Emma greeted with a smirk at the official title. "Is there anything we can help you with this fine morning?"

Regina chuckled as she crossed the room until she was in front of her wife. She leant in and stole a kiss making Hook roll his eyes and chuckle.

"You two are going to be all over each other again now, aren't you?" He presumed.

"You bet!" Emma replied before kissing her wife again. "Besides, we've got to keep the Mayor happy and seeing as we usually don't do any paperwork, this is my best solution." Regina raised her eyebrow at her wife, but Emma just took it in her stride. She turned around and picked up a folder on the top of her desk before passing it over to Regina. "And this way, I get to kiss my wife and give her the required paperwork _early_ and make her super happy."

The Mayor glanced down at the file in shock. She flicked through it briefly, making sure all the boxes that were required were fill. To her utter surprise, they were. She looked back up at her wife who was smiling softly.

"I was pissing you off so much with everything, I thought if we did our work properly, it would be one less burden," she murmured.

"Oh, Emma," Regina gasped. She cupped Emma's cheek and kissed her sweetly. "You're not a burden, honey. You're the opposite. The fact you did this is so sweet."

Emma blushed and she shrugged. "I'm just doing my job."

Regina smiled. "And you do it brilliantly, just don't tell Henry I actually said that."

"Promise." Emma winked. "So, what are you doing here? Not that I don't want to see you."

"Can't a wife visit their spouse at work?" The Mayor asked, holding her hand to her chest in mock offence. Emma simply raised her eyebrow in true Regina fashion, making her laugh and fess up. "Well I was hoping to get last month's paperwork that was missed which you've graciously given me along with this month's. I was also making sure there had been no mishaps with you know who."

"He's not Voldemort, Gin," Emma chuckled. "You can say his name."

Regina simply rolled her eyes and Emma wondered if it's because she didn't know who Voldemort was, but she knew now was not the moment to have a Harry Potter conversation.

"You know what I mean," she sighed. "You haven't had any dealings with Robin."

Emma shook her head as she perched on her desk. "I kept a look out during my patrol but nothing. Maybe we're good?"

"I doubt it," Hook said, speaking for the first time. "I was at Granny's for breakfast this morning with Lina and we overheard Little John and Friar Tuck talking about Robin. I didn't hear much as they were speaking quietly, but from what we heard, he's planning something. I just don't know what." He sighed. "Where's Ally? We need to make sure she's safe at all times."

Unable to help herself, Regina smiled at Hook's words. She'd always found him rather annoying and a bit of a nuisance before she remembered the past but whenever she saw him with or just talk about Alexandra, her heart filled with warmth. Hook loved her daughter as if she was his own daughter. She knew he'd make a wonderful father in the future.

"She's with Zelena," Emma revealed. "Mal's working today so I'll fetch her after I've had lunch with Lina and the girls."

Hook nodded, glad that Ally was with someone who'd be able to protect her should the Forest Fart came calling. The nickname Emma had jokingly used with Regina was a favoured name used by the Pirate.

"I should get going," Regina murmured, "and let my Sheriff and the deputy keep up their good work." She smirked making Emma laugh.

"I'll see you at home later," Emma replied and pressed a soft kiss to Regina's lips.

The Mayor bid her goodbyes and headed out of the door. Emma watched her leave with her dopey smile that was reserved for Regina.

"You're so whipped, Swan," Hook joked.

Instead of replying, Emma simply sent a zap down Hook's good arm and laughed when he cried out in pain.

oOoOo

When lunch time came around, Emma made her leave, waving goodbye to Hook who was working the shift before Charming took over from them both in the afternoon. She decided to walk to Maid Bakery on the outskirts of town and enjoy the warm air, plus she realised she should probably stop using so much magic while pregnant. Despite Blue's reassurance, she didn't want to keep using it willy-nilly.

She enjoyed her casual stroll and walked through the bakery doors precisely when she was meant to.

"Emma!"

At the sound of her name, she looked up, just for her vision to be blocked off by brunette curls. Realising who it was, she accepted Esmeralda's hug and hugged her back just as tightly.

"I've missed you!" Esmeralda cried as she pulled back. "I didn't realise how much until my memory came back. I said to Laverne that something was missing but neither of could put our fingers on it until two days ago. I can't believe she cursed us…again." The maid turned baker chuckled to show she was kidding. "Now, let's go find the others and catch up. I'll just put the closed sign on the door."

Once the sign on the door had been flipped, Esmeralda linked arms with Emma and they headed into the back where Lina and Laverne were already waiting.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Laverne greeted before pulling Emma into the warmest hug she'd ever received from the cook.

"It's so good to see you!" Emma replied, grinning broadly.

"Hey, Emma," Lina added. As she wasn't as close to the blonde, and had seen her the day before, the two didn't need a big reunion.

"Hey." Emma smiled at her friend before she took a seat at the small table in the centre that was already prepared with a tray of tea and bear claws.

"Because apparently you love them," Lina chuckled seeing Emma's face lighten up at the sight of the pastry.

"Apparently I know you well even when I don't remember you!" Esmeralda said with a smile, remembering when she'd persuaded Emma to take some a few weeks before.

"You have no idea how weird that day was for me," Emma said, shaking her head in disbelief.

She then went on to tell them about coming back from the past and having to deal with a wife who didn't remember her and as she went to clear her mind from all of that, she bumped into Esmeralda who didn't remember her.

"It was just all so odd," she finished with a sigh before picking up a pastry and devouring it in three bites.

"Jeez, Emma, slow down!" Laverne chastised. "You'll give yourself indigestion."

"Blame the baby," Emma said as a defence. There were then three sets of eyes staring at her, all wide with shock. Emma bit her lip. "Sooooo, Killian didn't tell you about the pregnancy then?" She asked looking at Lina. The slender woman shook her head, her mouth still wide open in shock. "Surprise, I'm pregnant?" Her voice raised at the end, hoping that one of them would snap out of their shock.

Fortunately, it didn't talk too long for Esmeralda to recover. She stood up and pulled Emma out of her chair and into a fierce hug.

"Congratulations!" She cried before pulling back. "Umm, I don't mean to be rude, but how?"

Emma chuckled as she sat back down. "Magic. The same way Alexandra was conceived, I presume, but this time, I'm the pregnant one." She then pondered the fact. "We should probably look into it though, I'm not sure we want to have many more kids, or any more to say that. I think three will be enough." She caressed her tummy softly. "We're excited though."

"Maybe that's what's making Killian broody," Lina said with a chuckle. "I mean, I've only remembered that we were together for two days and already he's baby mad. He adores Alexandra and I think he wants one of his own. I mean, we were together around two years before the portal opened." She frowned as she remembered the time.

Esmeralda reached out and squeezed her hand and Emma took hold of her other one. "How was it?"

Lina teared up. "Horrible. I missed him every day. I don't think I really understood just how much I'd fallen in love with him until he wasn't there anymore. There was no promise I'd ever see him again either and looking back, having my memory wiped is actually a relief. I'm glad it happened. Living without him for that long would have been sheer agony. But don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed that Regina put me with bloody Tom Thumb. He wasn't half irritating and Jodi, my counterpart, actually liked him!" She rolled her eyes.

"Though you should have seen Killian's attempts to woo her while we couldn't remember," Laverne cackled. "Absolutely pathetic, he was."

"Laverne!" Esmeralda chastised. "He wasn't pathetic. I just don't think he knew what he was doing for the beginning."

"Tell me everything," Emma said.

Esmeralda grinned before launching into her story. Apparently, Hook had started coming to the bakery every other day, saying that he'd moved to the outskirts of town and the bakery was easier for him, despite that being the completely opposite. He then tried to schedule his visits for when Lina was on duty and would flash her his 'dashing' (his words) smile at her while he ordered a coffee and dessert to go. In an attempt to flirt, he'd allow Lina to pick what he wanted. However, she could clearly remember deep down his likes and dislikes as she never gave him something he didn't like. Then after doing that for a week or so, he plucked up the courage to ask her out. He tried to be charming about it but failed miserably, apparently.

"He just walked in and said, "I think you and I would be great together, let's go out!" and just thought she'd say yes!" Esmeralda giggled. "Like there was no, "hi, how are you?" or "how's your day been?" just straight up, let's go out. The poor girl was terrified."

"It wasn't his best move," Lina said quietly. "I feel awful now though. I just said, "Uh no thanks," and walked away! I mean, I remember thinking that it was just a bit soon and I had Tom. If he'd waited a couple more weeks, I think I'd have said yes, regardless of the boyfriend I had. There was an attraction there, I was just a bit nervous."

"The second other one was a classic," Laverne said, joining in. "He started leaving different coloured roses for her after she said no hoping she'd reconsider. That was never going to work."

Lina shuffled in her seat. "Actually, roses are my favourite flower and he knew that. The colours he got all mean different things," she murmured quietly. "The first was purple which means love at first sight. The next was yellow meaning friendship. The one after was pink which means admiration and joy. The penultimate was red, obviously meaning love and the last was b…blue," her throat choked up a fraction, "which means "I can't have you, but I can't stop thinking about you." He was letting me go because he thought I was happier without him." She blinked and accidentally let a tear loose. "He loves me so much that he was willing to be miserable."

"He knows you love him, Lina," Emma murmured, squeezing her hand once more. "It's not your fault about the memory; it was just something that had to happen to ensure the future went how it did."

"So how did the curse break?" Esmeralda asked, wanting to change the subject and distract her friend.

Emma smiled before she launched into her story about getting Maleficent back and having to deal with a very stubborn Regina. Adding into the equation Robin and all his hissy fits and dramas, including her trip to the hospital and having to tell Regina about the pregnancy before she remembered which was upsetting. Then on top of the that the drama with her mother.

"It was a nightmare, honestly," Emma said with a laugh and she shook her head in disbelief, "but believe it or not, she actually came to me when the curse broke. She'd been reading the storybooks," she gave the three a brief explanation what they were, "and saw the discrepancies between them. She came to my house and before she even kissed me that she told me she loved me." Her face lit up as she remembered Regina, the Mayor, saying those three little words before she remembered what had happened when she was the Queen. "That she believed me and that she wanted me to kiss her, so I did and the curse broke."

"I hope she's been making it up to you," Laverne said seriously. "She put you through so much stress unnecessarily."

"We're working through it," Emma assured her. "But so far, I'm just so happy to have her back, I'm kinda overlooking everything else." She smiled and shrugged. "Anyway, tell me more about you guys and what I missed."

The three were a little apprehensive at the sudden conversation change, but they allowed it.

Laverne took over story time and started telling Emma about the rest of their year in the Enchanted Forest where they kept working for Henry until they heard about his death through the guards. Though by the sounds of it, they didn't know Regina had killed him for her curse, which she was glad about. Laverne was already so anti-Regina, she didn't make it worse. She continued to say they thought they were going to be sacked but then the curse swept and they became Mary-Jane, Jodi and Demi and were working in a bakery. As far as they knew, Mary-Jane lost her sister and Jodi and Demi were her nieces. They all found it rather funny when the first curse broke and they realised they weren't family.

After the curse broke, the three continued to run the bakery together because they enjoyed it. They didn't get as much custom as Granny's, but they were making it work. The fishermen came in every day which made up most of their business but in her free time, she still cooked and hung out with the other girls.

Esmeralda then took over, telling her story. She became a woman called Demi, but she was still married to Phoebus who had been renamed as Kevin, the name he still went by as he much preferred it. Kevin worked on the docks as a fisherman which he enjoyed and still did. Their son, Zephyr, renamed Joel, was in school but he was a few years younger than Henry with the way he was frozen, something it seemed Henry never really noticed while growing up. They lived in a small house by the harbour which she adored and Laverne came over for dinner at least once a week. Zephyr still called her Auntie MJ after calling her it during the curse. She didn't mind the name and allowed him to keep calling her it.

Finally, it was Lina's turn, but she didn't have much to add apart from her relationship with Tom which she shuddered at. After the recent curse broke, and the two realised who the other was, Tom couldn't pack his bags quick enough and moved out. However, Lina revealed that she was planning on moving in with Hook over the next week or so. Both of them were very excited.

Before long, Emma glanced down at her watch and saw that it was getting to the time when she'd promised Zelena that she'd be over to pick up her daughter. She wanted to fetch the tot and spend a little time with her before Regina got home from week.

"As much as I love you ladies, I do need to head off," she announced reluctantly. "I will see you all very soon as these bear claws are to die for!"

Esmeralda smiled as she pulled a box off the side and handed them over. "We thought you'd say that, so here's some for the road."

Emma's eyes brightened in happiness. "You guys are the best!" Her mouth was already watering in anticipation to have another. She waved her hand over the box and sent it home. "It'll be easier to walk without them or they won't make it home! See you!"

With a final round of hugs, Emma headed out of the bakery and started walking home. The warm breeze of the mid-afternoon sunshine was comforting. She thought back to her afternoon and realised that she really had missed her friend. She'd been so distracted with trying to get Mal back and Regina to remember, she'd neglected the two people she'd first met.

However, as she thought about her friendship with the women, she couldn't help but think about Henry. She missed him so much. There were so many things she wished she could tell him and get his advice on, but she had to accept that she would never see him again. Though with her mind so caught up thinking about Henry, she hadn't realised who had stepped out of the shadows and was standing right in front of her.

"Oh look, the Saviour is all on her own!" Robin sneered.

"What do you want?" She demanded. She held her ground, not cowering or showing fear like she knew he wanted. "I have a daughter to pick up."

"That bastard child," Robin hissed and Emma didn't even waste her magic on him, her arm sprung back and she thumped him in the jaw.

"Just who do you think you are!" She cried. "Do not talk about my daughter like that." Realising Robin was about to retaliate, she quickly put up a protection charming in front of her, preventing Robin from hitting her. Another wave of her arm and Robin was stuck in his position, not even able to move a muscle except to speak. "Don't even think about touching me." She snapped. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," he replied. "Regina. She's my Soulmate."

"She's my True Love," Emma retorted. "The mother of my children. You don't have any claim to her."

"She loves me," he said, his face darkening in anger and frustration at his position.

"No, she loves me," she countered calmly. She held up her hand and showed her wedding ring. "She's my wife, not yours." She sighed and removed the protection spell but kept the thief frozen. "Look, Robin, if you really love her, you'd want her to be happy. Can't you see that's with me and our family?"

"What about my happiness!" Robin demanded. "I've done wrong in my life, yes, and I lost my first love, my son's mother. Regina was my second chance and I love her, why should you get her? You have everything."

Emma's brow furrowed as she heard his words. She didn't want to feel sorry for him, but his words were making her feel it. She felt disgusted in herself. As she felt his words, she allowed her lock on him to release, unintentionally.

"You deserve happiness, Robin," she said. "It's just not going to be with Regina. There are plenty of other women here, look there."

"I don't want the others," he replied, with venom in his voice. "She was promised to me. _My_ Soulmate, _my_ True Love. You don't deserve her! I will have her if it's the last thing I do."

In that moment, Robin realised that the bind on his body had been broken. With a gleeful smile, he reached back before throwing his fist forward. However, before his fist connected with her face, he was blocked and pushed back by an invisible force.

"Get away from my wife!"

 _A/N: the response about Maleficent's love life was great! There were 3 front runners which I've chosen my favourite idea for. It will be revealed in due course, thank you everyone! Love, Emss x_


	59. Chapter 59

Emma head snapped back and saw Regina standing just a few paces behind them. Her right hand was aloft from pushing Robin back and her eyes were filled with fire.

"Regina!" Robin cried, his eyes lighting up as he saw her. "My love, what's wrong?"

Regina barked a laugh. "What's wrong?" She repeated, her voice thick of disbelief. She closed the gap between her and the others until she was standing beside her wife, a step away from her ex. "I'll tell you what's wrong, _Robin_." She spat his name out as if it was dirt on her tongue. "You." Her eyes flashed with fury. "Emma, hold on," she instructed quietly.

Immediately, Emma held onto Regina's shoulder as she transported the three into her office. With another wave of her arm, Robin was forced into the chair with two straps over his arms to prevent him from moving. Regina took her normal seat behind her desk and Emma moved to stand beside her.

Poised, Regina rested her hands on her desk and linked her fingers together. She smirked when she saw Robin struggle against his bindings, making the chair threaten to topple over.

Emma watched on, staying quiet. She didn't know why Regina was being so cold but as she looked at her, she quickly realised it was all an act. However, she didn't want to give her wife away, so she turned back to focus on Robin and her eyes narrowed.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Robin asked in despair. "Why are you being like this?"

"Why did you say those horrible things to my son and to my wife?" Regina demanded. "There was no need."

"She's interfering!" Robin snapped. "We were _happy_ together _,_ Regina. Me, you, Roland and Henry. We were a _family._ "

Emma scoffed and the thief turned to face her. "Telling our son that he has no place in your family because he's not blood related to Regina is not a way of showing that you're a family."

"I never said that."

Emma rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt to lie. "Don't lie to us, Thief. We know you did." She sighed before conjuring another chair beside Regina's and taking a seat. Pregnancy was tiring. "Cut the crap. We just want to know why."

At that, Robin simply glowered and kept silent. Usually, that would have made Emma happy but right now? Not so much.

"Look, Robin, for what it's worth, I'm sorry," Regina murmured quietly. "I never intended this to happen. When I first approached you, I really did feel something for you. I did love you." She glanced sideways at her wife for a second and swallowed before looking back at Robin. She inhaled slowly and ignored the way Emma's breath hitched at her revelation. "But that was when I didn't remember my love for Emma which is stronger than anything I've ever experienced. We have two children together and yes, one is biologically related to me, but that doesn't mean that Henry means any less to me. They're _my_ children regardless of where they came from and I cared about Roland too and he isn't biologically mine. I am sorry but there is nothing in the world that would make me give up my life with Emma and our children. I'm happy with her, why can't you allow that?"

The room was silent except for their breathing. Emma didn't dare interrupt, it wasn't her place. With everything said, it was now for Robin to respond but he was taking his sweet time about it. She started wringing her hangs in her lap in anticipation. Until finally, he broke the silence.

"What about my happiness?" He asked, his voice edging on whining. "I was happy with you in a way I hadn't been since Marian died. I thought we were each other's second chances after all the wrongs that we'd done in the past."

Regina sighed and Emma felt her nails digging into her palms at the suspense of the situation. She'd never felt so uncomfortable in Regina's office, including the day she came back.

"Emma is my second chance," Regina murmured quietly. "You will be happy. It's just not going to be with me." She reached out and took Emma's hand under the table. "My happiness is with my wife and our children. Nothing is going to change that, so you either have to cooperate with us or leave Storybrooke."

Emma gasped, unable to help herself. She never thought her wife would threaten that. However, she just didn't know if kicking him out of Storybrooke meant putting him into the real world or sending him back to the Enchanted Forest.

"You have a choice, Robin," Regina said quietly.

"What if I choose you?" Robin asked.

"She's not an option!" Emma snapped, finally losing her patience. She stood up and slammed her hands on the desk, leaning forward in her best sheriff pose. "Regina is my wife, my family. You're just going to have to accept that. I've tried to be nice but I'm not anymore. Either like it or lump it and get out of here or you'll be under arrest."

"What for?!" He cried indignantly.

"You don't want to know," Emma sneered. "For now, you can spend a few hours alone in a cell." She waved her hand and Robin disappeared in a cloud of white. She then got her phone out to explain to Charming who was on duty to not let Robin out for a few hours until he calmed down. Slowly, she sat back down in her chair and slipped her phone into her pocket.

The two were silent for a few moments, taking in what had just happened. Emma also stayed quiet as she was a little apprehensive what Regina would say to the fact she shipped Robin away in anger. There were so many thoughts going around her head. She completely understood his wish to be happy, that was a fundamental part of being human, you wanted to be happy. However, she just couldn't understand why he was so adamant that it _had_ to be with Regina when she clearly was no longer interested.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked, breaking the silence. She looked at her wife with worry etched on her face.

Emma looked up at Regina and nodded. "I'm fine. How did you know what was going on?"

"I just had this gut feeling that something was wrong, that you were in trouble," Regina revealed. She took one of Emma's hands and linked their fingers together. "I guess it's our True Love bond, we'll always know when the other is in danger." She smiled softly when Emma finally smiled herself. "So I just shut my eyes and pictured you. I saw you hit him, which I don't fully commend," she raised her eyebrow and Emma blushed, "but he did deserve it. There was no way I was letting him hurt you though so that's when I stepped in. What did he say to you?"

"He called Ally a bastard child," Emma murmured quietly. Regina's eyes flashed in fury once more.

"I'm going to kill him," she seethed, her hand tightening in Emma's, causing the blonde a slight discomfort. Gently she unwrapped Regina's hand from her and place it on her thigh which could take the pressure more.

"You're not killing anyone, honey," Emma stated. "He's saying things to provoke me." She sighed. "Look, I think we should go see Tinkerbell or Blue and ask them about this whole Soulmate malarkey."

Regina glowered. "I am not seeing that good for nothing, superior nun about this."

Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine, I'll see Blue and you can see Tink. Take Mal so you don't snap her head off."

The Mayor raised her eyebrows are her wife, affronted at her presumption. Emma simply raised her eyebrow, silently asking Regina to contradict her. She didn't. "Fine."

Emma smiled. "Thank you. We can go tomorrow." She glanced at her watch and saw that she was very late picking Alexandra up from Zelena's. "Shit, I need to get Ally. How much longer will you be working?"

"I can't concentrate now," Regina murmured as she stood up. "We can get Alexandra together and slob at home. I don't know about you, but after all of that, I'm looking forward to a glass of wine."

"Have one for me while you're at it, please," Emma said. She wasn't much of a drinker, usually having one every now at then, but she could definitely do with one at that moment. Alas with the pregnancy, she couldn't. "I'll just have a cocoa."

"I'll add extra whipped cream," Regina replied before kissing her wife softly. "Now, let's go get our daughter."

oOoOo

Zelena had been a little worried when Emma hadn't turned up to collect Ally at their arranged time, but she hadn't minded spending a little extra time with her niece, especially when Ruby turned up. The two had spent the rest of the afternoon playing tea party with the girl with Zelena conjuring up whatever she requested. Alexandra was having a blast and was a little disgruntled when her mothers turned up as she couldn't continue.

"We'll carry on next time, Al Pal," Zelena promised as she gave her niece a hug goodbye.

"Yay!" Ally cheered, accepting the hugs from her aunties. Ruby had declared herself as an honorary auntie with being Emma's best friend, though Emma had teased it was because she was dating Zelena and warned her, jokingly, not to get ahead of herself. The wolf had simply glared at her friend, not wanting to hit a pregnant lady.

Sensing the atmosphere change, though it was all in jest, Regina collected her family, said goodbye to her sister and, now, friend before transporting her two blondes home.

Once there, Ally decided to fill her mothers, and brother when Henry got home from school half an hour later, about her day. Emma and Regina didn't mind as it took their minds off what had happened during the day. Henry could tell something was up, but he chose not to ask, sensing that it was for the best.

However, after a night with their kids, Emma and Regina soon cheered up and forgot all about the thief. Well they did after Charming text Emma asking if he could release Robin yet. Emma begrudgingly agreed but advised him to give him a first warning of disorderly and offensive behaviour to a town official and sheriff. Charming agreed wholeheartedly, without even knowing what had gone on, and promised, again, to keep an eye on the thief.

With such a chaotic day done, Emma was quite happy to snuggle up to Regina in bed that evening. She accepted the Mayor's embrace as she wrapped her arms protectively around her tiny bump and cuddled into her back.

oOoOo

The next morning, when Emma woke up, she felt a different heat in the room. As she came to, she felt a light pressure on the top of her back and as she woke up more, she realised the pressure was from Regina's mouth as she kissed and licked around Emma's neck.

Emma moaned and snuggled back into her wife's touch, alerting her that she was awake. Regina didn't stop. Instead, her kisses turned into light nips that were soothed over with her tongue as her right hand slipped from where it was resting on Emma's belly. She pulled lightly on Emma's leg, silently asking her to lift it, so Emma did.

Despite the slightly awkward angle, Regina pulled herself forward so that she could run her fingers through Emma's already wet folds and lightly circled her clit with one finger making Emma whimper. Encouraged, Regina added another finger and pressed a fraction harder with the pads of her fingers as her kisses and nips never ceased. Emma tilted her head a fraction, giving her wife more access to her neck which she eagerly lapped up, pressing lingering kisses and teasing licks up her throat as her fingers accelerated.

When Regina nipped her ear lobe, she softly pinched Emma's clit and the blonde toppled over the edge, releasing a lustful sigh at the sensation. Regina continued circling Emma's clit, allowing her to ride out her climax as she nibbled on her pulse point.

"That's the best way to wake up," Emma murmured breathlessly after her body had relaxed again. She turned around and saw Regina smirking.

"Anything for my beautiful wife," she replied and kissed Emma passionately. "Let me do it again."

Before Emma could say anything else, with the fact the blonde had turned, Regina could easily slip two fingers inside. She pushed Emma onto her back lightly to get a better angle. Emma's legs automatically opened for her wife, allowing her to reach even deeper. Regina's kisses became more aggressive, her tongue caressing every part of Emma's mouth before she trailed them down her body, never stopping pumping her fingers deep inside her. She wrapped her lips around Emma's pebbled nipple, trapping it between her sultry lips and releasing it with a pop making Emma sigh. It was a beautiful sound.

By the time she reached Emma's clit, Emma was panting and whimpering. "Ginny, please," she begged.

Regina smirked. "Please, what?"

Emma let out a strangled moan. "Touch me."

"I am," Regina teased but to make things worse, she slowed her fingers down, pulling them out almost completely before pushing them back in tantalisingly slow.

"Regina, fuck me!" Emma cried, not wanting to be teased any longer. "Eat me, please, something!"

"As you wish, my love."

Regina wasted no time in slipping her fingers back in to Emma, moving them again her front wall at the exact place Emma needed her before wrapping her lips around her clit. She moaned at her favourite taste and the added vibrations was enough for Emma as she came once more, panting Regina's name like it was the last thing she'd ever say. Regina kept her fingers moving slowly as swallowed down Emma's come, moaning at the taste, before she finally pulled her fingers out.

Crawling up Emma's body, she slipped her fingers into her mouth and sucked off Emma's come before bringing her lips to Emma's and kissing her passionately. The blonde moaned at tasting herself on her wife's lips.

"You're delicious," Regina murmured as she pulled back. She leaned in for another kiss, but Emma pulled back and started shuffling in the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Getting into a better position," Emma said once she was central on the bed, a fraction lower than the pillows. "Sit on me."

Regina didn't need any further instruction as her eyes widened in excitement. She lifted her leg over Emma's chest carefully until she was resting lightly on her. Holding onto the bed frame, she shifted forward until her core was directly over Emma's mouth. She could feel the blonde's breath blowing deliciously against her and she whimpered in anticipation.

Emma brought her arms up and hooked them over Regina's hips to move her to where she needed her to be before she swiped her tongue through Regina's sopping folds. been so turned on from just waking Emma up with her kisses that she was already wet before she'd even made her wife come.

The blonde wrapped her lips around Regina's clit and sucked slowly before releasing it with a pop, smirking as Regina whimpered in dissatisfaction. Emma trailed her tongue through Regina's folds, drinking her down like a fine wine. She dipped her tongue inside her shallowly before slipping her tongue even further down and circling her other hole twice before moving back up to her clit. She continued the pattern of two sucks to her clit, trailing her tongue through her folds, dipping briefly inside and swirling her tongue around her rosebud several times until Regina was shaking with need above her.

Pulling her head back, Emma swallowed. "Turn around, baby." Regina was a little jelly legged with need, but she accepted Emma's instruction without hesitation. Once she was in place, Emma wasted no time in bringing up one hand to circle Regina's needy clit as she started swirling her tongue around Regina's rosebud, dipping her tongue in every so gently and Regina screamed into her orgasm, shouting Emma's name around the room.

However, Emma didn't stop, she chased Regina's first orgasm with a second, continuing her ministrations to her clit and ass. Unable to take it, Regina leant forward and suckled Emma's clit into her mouth. At the unexpected sensation, Emma's light ministrations hardened, her tongue slipping slightly further into Regina causing the brunette's third orgasm to crest and her moans vibrated around Emma's clit, causing her third orgasm to flood through her.

Both completely spent, they flopped to the side. Regina crawled slowly back up Emma's body and wrapped her arm over her.

"You are the greatest of wives," Emma murmured breathlessly.

"I have a lot of making up to do," Regina replied.

"You're already forgiven, Gin," Emma said in earnest. "But I won't say no to repeating that any time soon." She went to close the gap and kiss her wife, but Regina pulled a face.

"You're not kissing me after where that mouth's been," she chuckled. "Let's go shower and then we can start the day."

Slightly disgruntled that she couldn't have a kiss, but also unable to disagree with her wife, Emma slipped out of bed and followed the Mayor to the bathroom to clean up, ready for the day.

oOoOo

After the two had showered, Regina headed downstairs and Emma went to wake up Alexandra. It was barely eight, but they needed to get her into a routine as she coped best with those. Henry had already left for school.

"Wakey wakey, Princess," Emma murmured as she stroked Ally's hair to wake her up.

"Mama, sleepin'!" Ally grunted. She rolled over and tried to escape her mother's attempts to get her up which just made Emma chuckle.

"It's time to wake up, baby," Emma said. "Do you want a visit from the tickle monster?"

At the question, Ally flopped back and stared at her mother. "No tickle moster, please Mama!"

"Then are you going to get up?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrow.

Ally smirked, ever Regina's daughter, and shook her head. "Nope!" She shut her eyes but then opened one to see her mother's reaction before shutting it again. However, she couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"Well, if Princess Alexandra isn't going to get up, the tickle monster is going to have to make an appearance," Emma surmised and slowly she reached down and lightly tickled Ally's sides making her squirm.

"Mommy, help!" She cried between her fits of giggles. "Mommy! Mama stoooooop!"

Emma paused her actions. "Are you going to get up?"

"No!" Ally shouted gleefully before giggling again as Emma started her next bout of tickles. "MOMMY!"

Regina then crashed into the room. "What on earth is going on in here?" She asked, unable to stop herself from laughing. She could already tell what was going on. Alexandra was like her blonde mother and enjoyed her lie-ins and didn't like getting up in the morning.

"I wanna sleep, Mommy, Mama no let me!" Ally cried and pouted at her brunette mother, hoping she would let her sleep longer.

"I've made pancakes for breakfast," Regina replied. "If you get up now, you can have extra maple syrup if you like?"

"Yay!" Ally cried and she pulled back the cover, rushing over to Regina. "Beckfast, Mommy!" She raised her hands, indicating that she wanted Regina to lift her.

Regina picked up her daughter and turned to her wife. "See, easy peasy," she smirked and winked before she headed downstairs with Ally.

"They're going to be the death of me," Emma murmured with a chuckle. She made Ally's bed before heading downstairs to join her favourite girls.

Once breakfast was over, Regina had to head to work but she frowned at the idea. She was stood by the front door with Emma standing beside her with Ally in her arms.

"I don't want to go," she murmured. "Not when you have the morning off."

"It's almost the weekend," Emma replied as she pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead.

Regina's eyebrow raised. "Em, it's Tuesday," she said. "Nowhere near the weekend."

"Call in sick on Friday and it can come sooner," Emma suggested with a smirk making Regina roll her eyes. "But for now, you need to go or you'll be late. I'll see Blue before I head to work too."

Regina nodded. She pressed a kiss to Ally's forehead before kissing Emma softly. "I'll see you later. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Love youuu!" Ally said making Regina smile before she headed out of the door.

Once she was gone, Emma turned to Ally. "Do you fancy coming to see a friend with Mama?" Emma asked.

"Killi?" The hopeful tone was clear in her voice. It had been a couple of days since Ally had seen Hook and she missed him already after being used to see him all the time.

"Not today," Emma said and made a mental note to invite him over soon.

"Mally?" Again, Emma shook her head. "Wooooby?"

Emma chuckled at her daughter's guessing game. "Also not Ruby," she said. "She's called Blue."

Ally tilted her head to the side in confusion and Emma couldn't help but find it utterly adorable. "Who Blue?"

"She's a fairy," Emma said a she walked into the living room. "I need to ask her something and wondered if you wanted to come. I can drop you off with someone if you'd rather that?"

Ally took a few minutes to ponder the question before she shook her head. "I stay with Mama."

"Okay dokay," Emma agreed. "We'll head off soon then."

Emma settled on the sofa and Ally stayed cuddled up to her mother as she turned the TV on. While Ally was immersed in the new tales of Peppa Pig, Emma let her mind wander to the upcoming meeting. She just hoped that Blue would have the answers she wanted to hear otherwise things were going to become a whole lot worse.


	60. Chapter 60

_A/N: Apologies for the delay. I've been pretty busy, but here's the next update! Let me know what you think as always, love Emss x_

After an hour of Peppa Pig's adventures, Emma decided to head to the convent. She didn't know how much more she could take of the pig and her family before her brain turned to mush. However, before they could head off, Emma realised that Ally had yet to get dressed.

Alexandra requested to choose her own outfit as usual, which Emma allowed. She knew most toddlers liked to pick the craziest of outfits, but Ally was quite happy to wear her jeans and a pink top. Emma added a light grey cardigan as the spring weather, while being warm, still had a slight nip in the air.

When they were ready, Emma picked up her daughter, making sure she had her dragon to distract her during the meeting, and transported them across town with a flick of her wrist. She headed into the convent and headed to Blue's office smiling at the other fairy turned nuns as she went past. Once outside, she knocked on the door and entered after being told to do so.

Unlike the previous time, Blue wasn't busy looking at her computer, she was looking at the door as her new guest walked in.

"Emma, how lovely to see you again," she greeted with a bright smile. "And who's this little one?" Of course, she'd seen and heard about Alexandra, but she wanted to make her feel comfortable in her presence.

Nervously, Ally hid in Emma's hair making her mother chuckle. "Hey Blue. This is my daughter, Alexandra. Ally, are you going to say hi to Blue?"

Ally slowly revealed herself and took in the fairy. "'Ello," she murmured.

Blue smiled at the child. "Hello yourself," she replied before motioning Emma to take a seat. "How can I help you today?"

Emma sat down, making sure Ally was settled comfortably, and cleared her throat. "I want to know about the magic of Soulmates," she revealed. Blue tilted her head in confusion but didn't say anything, waiting for Emma to explain further. "You know years ago when Tinkerbell stole the Pixie Dust to help Regina?" Blue's eyes narrowed as she remembered her fairy going against her word. She still said nothing but nodded. Emma swallowed. "Well she showed Regina to her Soulmate, to Robin Hood, but I'm her True Love which I know is true as our kiss has broken a few curses now and we wouldn't have Alexandra if we weren't. Is it possible to have the two coincide?"

With the curse broken, Blue knew all about Emma and Regina's relationship. While she'd never seen them in the past, she had heard through the grapevine that the Queen had married and had a child. It also meant that she knew who the father, or in this situation other mother, of Emma's baby was.

"True Love is the most powerful magic to ever have existed, Emma, you know this," Blue said. "This child," she motioned to Ally, "is full of it and so will your next one. Soulmates is not a type of magic, so to speak, not really." She cleared her throat. "Pixie Dust is incredibly powerful but dangerous in the wrong hands. Green had no right taking it that night, so it didn't do what it was required to do."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Blue took a deep breath. "If Green had had permission to take the Pixie Dust and use it that night, it would never have worked," she revealed and Emma's brows just furrowed even further. "You hadn't been born at the time, nor had you gone back to that time yet, so the dust wouldn't have been able to seek you out. As you said, you and Regina _are_ True Loves, there is no denying that, but from what I've seen, you are also Soulmates. You have a sixth sense that revolves around each of you. If the other is in danger, you can sense it. That isn't your True Love bond, that's the Soulmate in each of you."

Emma took in the fairy's words. When Robin had come after her the day before, Regina had known she was in danger. The Mayor had said it was due to their True Love bond, but clearly it wasn't.

"Then why did it lead them to Robin?" At the question, Blue hesitated. "Blue?"

"As I said, Pixie Dust is dangerous in the wrong hands," she repeated eventually. "It does the opposite of what is required." She took a deep breath. "It leads you to the person that has the most potential of obsessive love."

Emma's eyebrows shot up in shock. "What?!"

"Robin is that man for Regina," Blue said, saying the obvious. "Even if he hadn't been told that the two of them were Soulmates, he would always have fallen in love with Regina with a powerful but destructive love should they ever have met. Because she believed he was her Soulmate, she allowed the relationship and sealed the bond between them. Robin has been injected with a curse because of it. He won't stop until he has Regina to himself."

"How can we stop him?" Emma asked, panicked. "There has to be a way?"

"There's no magic cure to this," Blue replied hesitantly. "The only way to end the curse would be with True Love's kiss with his True Love, that would cut it, but as she died, he will need to be sent to a world without magic. Without magic, the curse wouldn't be in his system anymore, he'd be free to fall in love with whomever and Regina wouldn't cross his mind."

Emma flopped back in her chair and glanced at Ally who had fallen asleep on her shoulder during the conversation, clearly bored.

"There's really no other way to stop this?" Emma asked quietly. "Nothing Tink can do to reverse it?"

Blue shook her head. "Sadly not. That's why I had to take away her wings. She should never have taken the Pixie Dust without my permission. She didn't understand the fairy laws back then. I've seen much improvement in the last few months, however."

Emma took a deep breath as she took it all in. "Thank you, Blue." She stood up. "I understand now, but it's not going to be easy."

"I'll be on hand if you need any help," Blue assured her. "But you won't need it with the power you have. I'm sorry that one of my fairies did this to you."

"Don't be," Emma replied. "We'll figure out a way to stop him. We always do."

"Good luck," Blue said and Emma half smiled before bidding her goodbye.

She headed out of the office and into the sunshine.

"Mama?" Ally murmured as she woke up with the sunlight hitting her eyes. "Hungwy."

"Let's go get some food," Emma said as she headed down the street. She needed to talk to someone about what she'd just heard and she was also a little hungry. Killing two birds with one stone, she made her way to Granny's so she could grab some food and talk to Ruby.

oOoOo

"Holy shit!" Ruby cried after Emma had finished telling her everything.

When Emma had entered the diner, she saw Ruby standing by the counter. Once she took their food order, fish fingers for Ally and a grilled cheese for Emma, she asked if the waitress was okay to take a break while they ate. She immediately cleared it with Granny.

Ruby brought their food over with her before taking a seat. She hadn't even asked what was going on when Emma cast a silencing spell around them so that they couldn't be overheard and started sharing everything that Blue had just told her. Ally munched on her food, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Ruby!" Emma chastised at her friend's language, covering her daughter's ears. "Mind your language around her."

Ally looked up, confused. "Mama?"

"Sorry, baby," Emma murmured as she let go. She pressed a kiss to her head. "Don't forget your broccoli." Ally pulled a face at the offending vegetable which made Emma chuckle before she looked back at Ruby, raising her grilled cheese to her mouth.

"Sorry," the waitress murmured. "It's just, I can't believe it." She shook her head. "But it makes so much sense! Maybe that's why he said that to Henry?"

Emma paused her chew at Ruby's words. She swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Like this curse is telling him that he needs to be with her," Ruby explained after snatching one of Emma's fries. Emma was concentrating so much on what Ruby was about to say that she didn't notice. "He doesn't want anyone in his way which is why he said there was no place for Henry and why he's determined to fight you. Is there really nothing else you can do to stop him than to get rid of him?"

Emma shook her head. "Marian's dead, he won't be able to have his True Love's kiss." She finished the last few bits of her sandwich before continuing. "There's no other way around it."

"How are you going to tell Regina?" Ruby asked.

Emma sighed as she wiped the grease off of her hands. "I have no idea."

oOoOo

Unbeknownst to Emma on the other side of town, Regina had called Tinkerbell to her office to have the same conversation with the fairy as Emma had with Blue. As instructed by her wife, Regina had requested Maleficent's presence for the meeting.

Regina sat behind her desk, staring at the door, waiting for Tink to announce her presence any moment.

"Is there any particular reason you need me here too?" Mal asked quietly, breaking Regina's concentration. She was sitting on the sofa by the fire so that she wouldn't be in the direct conversation between the two but there in the background.

The Mayor glanced to her friend and sighed. "Emma thought it would be better that you were here," she admitted, "so I don't quote, unquote, snap her head off," she added reluctantly after the dragon had raised her eyebrow.

Unable to help herself, Mal threw her head back and cackled at the Mayor's embarrassment. "So I'm babysitting you?"

At the term, Regina pointed at the dragon and sent a zap up her arm which stopped her from laughing. "I just need someone to centre me, I suppose," Regina sighed. "Tinkerbell and I do not get on very well and the conversation we're about to have will probably not help matters."

As if on cue, there was a timid knock on the door and Regina coughed before calling, "Enter."

Slowly, the door opened to reveal the fairy. Tinkerbell had fit in quite easily to Storybrooke, choosing to wear a pair of jeans and a forest green sweatshirt.

"You wanted to see me, Regina?" She said as a greeting.

"Yes," Regina replied and motioned to the seat behind the desk. "Thank you for coming. Take a seat."

Tink glanced towards Mal who was looking over some paperwork but had her dragon hearing in place for even the quietest of sounds. She bit her lip nervously but didn't cross her arms in an act of defiance. "How can I help, your Majesty?"

Regina raised her eyebrow. "There's no need for that name," she said, rather stiffly. She knew Tink didn't want to be there, but she needed to talk. After clearing her throat once more, Regina got down to business. "I want to know more about Soulmates. I want to know more about why the Pixie Dust led me to Robin that night."

"Why?" Tink asked, confused. She had tried to imagine what the Mayor wanted, but she didn't think it would be to do with Robin. The last she heard, the two were happy together. Clearly, she didn't know anything about the Mayor and the Sheriff.

"Because he won't let me be with my wife," Regina stated. At the fairy's shocked expression, she continued. "You see, I have a True Love and that is not Robin Hood. Emma is my wife and my True Love."

"I don't understand," Tink murmured in disbelief. "The Pixie Dust led you to Robin, he should be your Soulmate and I suppose, your True Love." Her eyes widened in fear. "If he isn't, then I've ruined his life!" She gasped as she started to freak out. "Oh god, that's why Blue was furious!" She sprang out of her chair and started pacing, murmuring to herself.

Regina watched in complete bafflement, not quite knowing what to do. Surprisingly, it was Maleficent who stepped forward and stopped Tink her tracks. "You need to sit down," she instructed gently, steering the fairy back to her seat. She took a seat beside her and looked at her. "What do you know about the misuse of Pixie Dust like this?"

Tink blinked and tried to think if she knew. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'd heard the stories that Pixie Dust could lead you to the person who was your Soulmate."

"Were you allowed to take the Pixie Dust?" Mal asked, her voice stern, clear. Regina watched on, trying to figure out what her friend was asking but she could read her expression like she usually could. Again, Tink shook her head and Mal sighed. "It does the opposite of what it should. Do you know how much danger you've put Regina in?"

"What?" Regina gasped, unable to stay silent any longer. "What do you mean?"

Now, both the Mayor and fairy were staring at the dragon, wanting to know the answers she clearly held.

Regina didn't know why her friend was hesitating. Of course, she wanted to know why, but she was too anxious to hear what her friend knew. She needed to know more. "Mal, please."

The dragon nodded and swallowed. "Pixie Dust is dangerous in the wrong hands," she said. "It is a very powerful magical substance that can be wonderful if you get it right, but also devastating if used without authorisation." She glanced at Tinkerbell. "If you used it without Blue's permission, instead of leading you to your Soulmate, it does the opposite." She took a deep breath as she turned to Regina. "It leads you to the person that has the most potential of obsessive love."

Both Regina and Tink's eyebrows shot up and mouths dropped in shock. "What?!"

"If the Pixie Dust led you to Robin that night, then he is the one for Regina," Mal continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "Emma wasn't there so the Pixie Dust would never have worked. Because Robin was told that he was Regina's Soulmate and she believed it, he's been injected with the curse. He won't stop until he has Regina to himself." She looked back at the Mayor who looked like she couldn't believe her ears. "That's why he saw no place for Henry in your family because he gets in the way of the two of you being together. He would throw Roland out if he got in the way. The curse is a drug in his system. I hadn't realised what had gone on when you first told me and I apologise for that."

"How do we stop him?" Regina asked.

As Mal went to answer, Tinkerbell cut her off. "Fairy magic is meant to be pure, anything used incorrectly is unmentionable." She looked Regina directly in the eye. "There is no cure."

The room turned cold and silent for a few heartbeats until Tink asked to leave. There was nothing more to say and she needed to go speak to Blue about it all. Regina had said that Emma had already spoken to her, but the fairy said she needed to go.

Once the door shut behind her, Regina looked at her friend. "How do you know all of that?" She asked gently.

Mal swallowed and took a deep breath. "My mother was a fairy," she admitted and Regina gasped at the revelation, "but she died a long time ago." She bit her lip nervously and didn't go any further into the tale before continuing. "She taught me a lot about fairy-lore, but not too much because I'm not a fairy myself. My father's dragon power won, but I know enough. Blue was furious when she found out that she'd taught me some of it."

"Well I'm very glad she did," Regina said. "Why did you never tell me?"

The dragon shrugged. "I guess it never came up."

The two were interrupted by another knock on the door. Not expecting anyone, Regina anxiously called, "enter." However, her anxiety flew out of the window when she saw who it was.

"Emma!" She breathed and grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy!" Ally cried as she wriggled in Emma's arms, wanting to be let down. Once her feet hit the floor, she ran over to her mother and climbed into her lap. "Hello!"

"Hello, Princess," Regina greeted and pressed a kiss to her head.

"She wanted to see you before I started work," Emma revealed a she crossed the room and kissed her wife sweetly on her lips.

"Mommy, I stay with you?" Ally asked. It had already been arranged that she was going to be spending some time with Zelena while Emma, Regina and Mal were at work, but it seemed the tot had forgotten.

"You're more than welcome to stay here with me," Regina said and Emma raised her eyebrow questioningly. "I don't have any more meetings so it's fine. She can draw while I do paperwork."

"I'll message Zee and let her know," Emma replied before glancing at her watch. "I need to head to work though, so I'll see you later and I can tell you what Blue said."

"We can tell you what Tinkerbell said," Regina added. She glanced at Mal. "You're coming for dinner, right?"

"Sure," Mal accepted easily.

Emma nodded. "I'll see you both later then." She then kissed Regina once more and pecked Ally on her head before heading back out of the room.

"Dinner should be interesting," Regina murmured and Mal couldn't help but agree.

oOoOo

At the end of a rather dull shift, Emma let herself into the mansion and breathed deeply at the smell. The strong scent of lasagne, Regina's speciality, hung in the air and it seemed the baby was very much in approval at what was on the menu. Emma placed her keys in the tray and hung her jacket up on the rack before heading into the kitchen in search of her family but came up empty. She could see a bottle of wine on the table and the oven light on with a tray inside.

Turning around, she headed into the living room and saw her family were in there. It was a sight to behold. Regina was colouring something in with Ally, lost in the drawing to realise Emma was there and believe it or not, Mal was playing on the PlayStation with Henry who was struggling not to laugh as Maleficent's character ended up in the water.

"Mal, how many times, go left!" Henry chuckled and showed her how to do it on the console.

"I'm trying!" Mal huffed. "It's not letting me."

"That console is a bit temperamental," Emma said, announcing her arrival. "You need to really push it."

"Mama!" Ally cried. She pushed herself up and waddled across the room, lifting her arms so the blonde would pick her up.

"Hello, Princess," Emma greeted and pressed a kissed to her forehead.

"Hey, Ma!" Henry hollered, not looking away from the TV, but that was a pretty usual sight now that he was a teenager.

Regina stood up from where she was sitting and crossed the room to give Emma a welcome home kiss. "You're perfectly on time," she said after she pulled back. "Dinner should be ready." She turned to their son. "Henry, finish the round you're on and then head to the dining room."

"Gotcha!" Henry replied, still not looking at his mothers.

Emma rolled her eyes at her wife making her chuckle as the two headed to the kitchen with Alexandra perfectly happy to stay in Emma's arms.

"Need any help with anything?" Emma asked but Regina shook her head.

"No, I've got it."

Instead, Emma put Ally down and sent her ahead into the dining room while she got herself a glass of water. She then followed Regina into the dining room and placed her glass on the table before placing Ally into her high chair. Regina placed the lasagne on the table in the centre before nipping back out of the room.

Henry and Mal were already sitting in their usual places, the former with a coke in his hand, sugar free of course, and the latter with a glass of wine. Emma stared at it enviously making the dragon roll her eyes.

"Em, you can have a glass in a few months," she chuckled.

"I know," Emma sighed. "I could just use one after today."

At the tone, Henry looked up, his face full of concern. "What happened?"

Regina then returned to the dining room with a large bowl of salad to add to the centre of the table before sitting down.

"It's just been a day of interesting information," Emma revealed as she helped herself to the salad. Glancing up, she saw Henry was still looking at her. She glanced to Regina who understood her silent question and nodded, showing she approved of Henry knowing what was going on. "I spoke to Blue about the whole Soulmate situation with your mom and Robin."

"What did she say?" Henry asked, not taking his eyes off his mother, completely ignoring the plate of food Regina had put down in front of him.

Emma took a deep breath. She didn't know how much Regina had found out as she knew she'd spoken to Tinkerbell that day. Without delaying any further, Emma blurted out her findings. "Basically, we either have to hope that Robin's True Love wasn't Marian or we have to kick him out of Storybrooke for good."


	61. Chapter 61

Henry's mouth dropped in shock. "It's that serious?"

Emma bit her lip before nodding. "I'm afraid so, Kid."

"Tinkerbell said there was no cure?" Regina queried.

"Why does a Soulmate need a cure?" Henry asked, a mouth full of food as he'd finally decided to start eating.

"Because it's turned into a curse," Regina revealed slowly.

Henry's fork clattered his plate. "What!"

"Look, we'll talk about this after dinner," Emma sighed. "Okay?"

Sheepishly, Henry nodded before picking up his fork. "Hansel and Gretel got into a fight at school today," he said to change the subject. "She punched him in the face."

The swerve in conversation worked and Mal soon started asking Henry about the fight though Emma was sure that she didn't really care but it kept the conversation going.

Surprisingly, Henry heeded his mother's request and didn't bring up Robin or Soulmates for the rest of dinner. Even after the dishes were done, Emma magicking them away for once, and the family retired to the living room for the evening, he still didn't bring it up. Instead, he sat in the armchair in the corner, sipping on his hot chocolate.

Emma smiled as she realised that Henry was waiting for his mothers to take the lead. He really was growing into a respectable young man. She was proud of him and knew that Neal would be too. She was sat on the sofa with Regina and Maleficent on either side with Ally sitting on the dragon's lap. The tot was eyeing up the large marshmallow on top of Mal's hot chocolate and the dragon was purposely not eating it to wind her up. However, when Ally reached out to take it while Mal wasn't looking at her drink, the dragon didn't bat an eyelid, clearly planning to give the sweet treat to the toddler anyway.

Instead of mentioning it like she should have done, Emma just chuckled quietly and ate her own marshmallow so the same didn't happen to her. After a couple of sips of her drink, she saw that Henry was fighting the temptation to bring up the conversation, so she decided to put him out of his misery.

"So your mother and I both had conversations with the fairies today," Emma started. "I went to see Blue and Regina called Tinkerbell to her office." She then glanced at her wife. "Though by the sounds of things, Tink didn't know as much about is as we hoped?"

Regina shook her head and took over. "Unfortunately not." She sighed. "It was actually Mal who filled in most of her blanks."

Three sets of green eyes turned to the dragon when Regina looked in her direction. Mal bit her lip before revealing what she'd told Regina earlier that afternoon. "My mother was a fairy. She taught me some fairy-lore but not everything because she wasn't allowed. I'm not a fairy. Anyway, Tink didn't realise that Robin wasn't Regina's Soulmate, so she accidentally cursed him."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, trying to wrap his head around it all.

"Pixie Dust is wonderful when you're allowed to use it," Mal replied. "Blue is the keeper of the Dust as the senior fairy, but she didn't allow Tinkerbell to take it. Without the proper authority, Pixie Dust will lead you to the person who can cause you a lot of damage, which I suppose is a good thing, but it leads you under false pretences. To add to that, because your mother believed he was her Soulmate, it solidified the bond between them. He was injected with a curse then, poisoning his mind that he _must_ be with Regina, no matter what happens or who comes between them."

"So that's why he wanted me out of the way?" Henry presumed with a shrug.

Mal nodded. "I'm afraid so." She sighed. "But it's also why he wants Emma out of the way because she has a claim to her." She paused as she glanced to the blonde beside her. "I'm just wary of what will happen when he finds out about the pregnancy," she admitted. "That's going to make things so much worse."

"He won't find out," Emma said, adamant. "There's no way he's knowing that. He's not coming after the baby. I'll force him out of Storybrooke with my bare hands if he tries." Her fists curled up on her lap and Regina reached out to relax them.

"It won't come to that, honey," she reassured her. "We'll figure something out before it gets that bad. What did Blue suggest?"

Emma bit her lip. "She didn't really," she sighed. "She just said that we had the power to defeat him. By the sounds of it though, we're going to have to send him over the town line. He can't go back to the Enchanted Forest because the curse will still affect him. I mean, at the end of the day, this isn't his fault. He shouldn't really be punished for it."

Regina nodded sadly. "I just wish there was a cure."

"We could look into it?" Mal suggested. "But if the moth is saying there isn't a solution, and she's little miss ray of sunshine, then there really isn't."

At the term, all the Swan-Mills' eyebrows raised but they knew now was not the time to delve deeper into the dragon's distaste, or apparent hatred, of the fairy.

"You'll figure something out, you always do," Henry affirmed before glancing at the TV. "Can we watch a movie?"

Emma chuckled at Henry's ability to swerve conversations so easily. He knew when a conversation shouldn't be prolonged, and it was one of the many things she loved about him.

"Sure, Kid," she agreed. "What are you in the mood for tonight?"

His eyes lit up with mirth. "Robin Hood?" The pillow hit him in the face before he saw it coming. Once it fell, he saw Emma acting innocent, but he knew it was her. He raised the pillow to throw it back, but Emma raised her eyebrow.

"Excuse me, pregnant mother other here!" She feigned offence and Henry rolled his eyes, a typical Regina trait.

"Fiiiine," he sighed dramatically as he stood up and headed to the film cupboard. He ran his fingers over a few titles before finding the one he wanted and setting up the system. Once the film was loaded, he headed back to his seat and flopped back as the title screen of the Hunger Games came on.

Ally was put to bed after the first ten minutes as she was getting tired and the film choice wasn't really suitable for her eyes, but Maleficent found the film fascinating and when Henry told her there were a few sequels, she couldn't wait to watch them.

However, when the film ended, the dragon headed home and the others headed to bed. After an exhausting day of information overload and growing a baby, Regina wasn't surprised when she came back from the bathroom to see Emma passed out on the bed, still fully clothed. She quickly waved her hand over her wife to remove her clothes and gently repositioned her in bed.

After sliding in beside her, she smiled as Emma shuffled closer to her in her sleep. She hooked her leg over Regina's and wrapped her arm around her waist with her neck snuggling to Regina's.

"I love you," Regina murmured softly as she kissed her forehead before shuffling down and allowing sleep to take her too.

oOoOo

A couple of days later found Emma, Hook and Charming seated around a table at Granny's. The three had decided to call a 'meeting' to discuss the coming shifts for the next month but they held it at Granny's because they really just wanted to grab some food. Hook and David were about to start work and Emma was just finishing her shift before she was going to head to the library. Usually Charming would only work half days but now Neal was a month old and sleeping a little better, he didn't feel as guilty leaving Snow alone with the baby all day.

Mal was also looking after Ally that day while Emma had the morning shift at work. However, she offered to keep her for the afternoon time so Emma could have some time to herself which she hadn't had recently and the blonde, though feeling a little bit guilty about it, accepted the time and thanked her friend profusely. Naturally, the dragon had waved her off as she was Ally's God Mother after all, but Emma was still grateful for her.

However, before all of that happened, she had to finish the meeting with her favourite men.

"I don't mind working the evening shifts," Hook was saying as he took a mouthful of fries. "I'm the only one without a kid at the moment."

At the term, Emma's eyebrows raised. "At the moment?" She repeated and Hook smiled.

"I bought a ring," he revealed sheepishly as he pulled a small box out of his pocked. However, he didn't reveal the ring itself as he wanted Lina to be the first to see it, so he slipped the box back where it came from. "I'm going to ask Lina to marry me and we've already discussed about starting to try for a baby."

"Congratulations!" Emma cried. She pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm so excited. She's going to be thrilled!"

"Good on you, mate!" Charming added, patting his friend on the back. "I'm happy for you." The two got on even better now that the pirate wasn't chasing Emma for her love and attention. They found that they had a lot in common and also enjoyed teasing Emma over the same things, especially with her amped up emotions with the pregnancy.

Hook smiled and blushed. "Just don't tell her. I haven't got it all planned yet."

"We won't say a word," Emma promised, "and when the time comes, just let us know and we'll cover your shift."

"Actually, I was thinking if there was room in the budget for another deputy," Charming said as he finished his burger. "I know there's not a lot of crime, but it would mean we got to work less and split the shifts more equally. Reckon Regina will allow it?" He paused for a moment and took in his daughter whose pregnancy was showing more and more every day. "We'll definitely need someone cover you when you're on maternity leave."

However, as the three were so involved in their meeting, they didn't hear the bell above the door to signal the new arrival who has just reached their table.

"What?!" The newcomer yelled as he slammed his fists on the table, glaring directly at Emma. "You're pregnant?" Robin all but screamed and everyone who had been minding their own business gave up and turned to stare at the scene before them. "First you steal my girlfriend and then cheat on her! You're disgusting!" To emphasise his point, Robin spat at Emma and both men at the table lunged at him.

Charming and Hook forced Robin back and the former pinned him to the wall behind him.

"How dare you spit at her!" Charming cried, his forearm pushed tightly against the thief's throat.

"David, don't, he's cursed!" Emma intervened. "He doesn't know any better!"

This was the first time she'd seen him since the she found out that he was curse and just looking at his eyes, she could tell. When she compared them to Charming's, yes, there was fury in both, but there was an added glaze over Robin's like he couldn't see properly.

"Cursed?" Hook repeated. Emma had yet to tell him on her new findings.

Emma nodded but Charming wasn't accepting it. "Curse or no curse, you do NOT spit at any one, let alone a woman!" He hissed.

Robin scoffed. "There's nothing wrong with me! She's the girlfriend stealing harlot here. She should be–"

However, what Robin was going to suggest for Emma was never heard as Charming punched him square in the nose. Blood started to drip immediately and his eye was already starting to bruise at the force behind Charming's blow.

"Don't you dare say that about my daughter! Another word and you'll regret you were born," Charming seethed, seeing red. "You're coming to the station with me." He then glanced at Hook to help him drag the thief out with brute strength as he wasn't having any of it. Robin was trying to claw both men off of him, but they were too strong and easily overpowered him.

The rest of the customers looked on in curiosity until Granny yelled, "Show's over! Either order, eat or get out!"

After that, everyone turned back to their meals and Emma returned to her seat. She was no longer hungry and pushed away the rest of her grilled cheese and sighed.

"Can we sit?" Asked a voice above her quietly.

Looking up, Emma saw Belle and Rumple standing beside her table. She motioned to the now empty seats before her. "Be my guest." She couldn't help the chuckle at her little joke but clearly the two weren't familiar with their cartoon personas of Beauty and the Beast.

Rumple looked like he didn't want to be there, but Belle looked worried. "We overheard what you said about Robin," she murmured. "What do you mean about him being cursed?"

Emma took a sip of her iced tea and sighed before telling the two all about what Blue and Tinkerbell had said a few days prior. She looked at Rumple once she'd finished. "Do you know if there's a cure?"

Unfortunately, the Dark One simply shook his head. "It's like what Maleficent said. If Blue says there's no cure, then there isn't," he said. "She's the Pixie and Fairy Dust expert here. I don't know that much about it because it's not my forte."

Emma had to stop herself from scoffing and rolling her eyes. Naturally, something as pure as Fairy Dust would not be the Dark One's forte.

"We can look into it though," Belle offered, glancing at her husband. "We have so many books, there has to be something?"

"You don't have to," Emma said but Rumple waved her off.

"If it means that Henry will be safer, I'll happily offer my services."

It was difficult, but Emma managed not to roll her eyes. The Dark One couldn't just admit to doing something nice; he had to cover it up with looking out for his grandson. But then again, at least he was helping.

"Thank you," Emma said and Belle smiled.

"You're very welcome. We'll go get started now actually," she replied and stood up, ushering Rumple out of his seat. "We've been relaxing too long, I'm looking forward to some research." Her eyes lit up with excitement and Emma couldn't help the chuckle; she loved how into books Belle was. "See you later."

"Bye." Emma watched them leave and was just about to stand up herself when the bell above the door rang once more. She hadn't even had chance to look up and see who it was before there was a loud shriek.

"Maleficent!"

At the name, Emma's head snapped up and saw Mal standing with Ally on her hip. Looking to the left, she saw Aurora and Mulan sitting on a nearby table. The princess' eyes were wide in fear and her finger was pointing shakily at the dragon.

"What are you doing here?" Aurora demanded. She picked up her baby, who had been sleeping peacefully, and held him tightly to her chest. "Are you here to take him?"

"Aurora, stop it!" Mulan snapped before Maleficent could even open her mouth, surprising her and Emma. "She's clearly here to eat with her daughter. Leave her alone."

Aurora turned on her friend, her voice shrill. "Leave her alone? Don't you remember what she did to me?"

Mal rolled her eyes. "I'd do it again it if would get you to shut up," she sneered and she couldn't help the smile as she saw the young warrior trying not to chuckle. "Alas, Alexandra isn't my daughter though." She wasn't sure why she needed to clarify that to the warrior, but she said it nevertheless. At the mention of daughter, there was a glimmer of something in Aurora's eyes, but Emma couldn't make it out from where she was sitting across the diner.

"Mally?" Ally called to get the dragon's attention. She was pointing to the far side. "It's Mama!" Mal looked over and saw Emma sitting at the table. "Hungy!"

At the instruction, Mal smiled at Mulan and sneered at Aurora before heading over to the tot's mother. As they reached the table, Ally wriggled to be let down so she could run the last distance to her mother.

"Mama, what you doing here?" She asked as she climbed up to sit in Emma's lap. "You working?"

Emma smiled at her daughter and pressed a kissed to her head before stroking her hair. "I was having a meeting with Killi and Grandpa, but we were interrupted. I was about to leave when I saw my Princess," she bopped her on her nose making her giggle, "so I stayed."

"What happened?" Mal asked as she took a seat opposite her friend.

"Robin," Emma sighed and paused so the waitress on duty could take Mal's order of a spicy turkey burger for herself and some grilled chicken for Ally. Emma ordered another iced tea. "It doesn't matter though; David and Killian dragged him to the station and Rumple and Belle said they're going to try and look into a cure."

Mal's eyes flashed at what she heard. She wasn't happy that something could have happened to Emma and she wasn't there to step in. However, by the look on Emma's face, she realised she didn't want to talk about it any longer, so she changed the subject.

"It's good to know that my name and face still bring fear to some," she smirked as she glanced back over to Aurora. She was glaring at the dragon and ignoring everything that Mulan was saying to her. "Though it was nice to have someone stand up for me. Who is she?"

Emma glanced at her friend and noted that the dragon looked very intrigued as she took in Mulan who kept glancing over to Mal with a small, timid smile.

"She's called Mulan," Emma revealed before laughing. "She actually helped Philip become human again after you cursed him." She raised her eyebrow at her friend who took it in her stride.

Mal simply chuckled. "It had to be done!"

They were interrupted as Granny came over and placed their meals in front of them. "Chicken for the Princess, and a spicy burger for the _hot_ dragon," she announced as she placed the plates down. Emma didn't miss the way the older lady's eyes looked Mal up and down and she definitely caught her wink in Mal's direction.

The two waited until Granny had moved away before Emma burst out laughing and Mal's eyes widened. Ally was too preoccupied with her food to take any notice.

Emma shook her head in disbelief. "Did I really just see that?" She asked before she started cutting Ally's chicken up so that she could eat it easily.

Mal took a bite of her burger and a sip of her lemonade before sighing. "It's not the first time she's done it," she revealed. "I think she's attracted to me and it's just so many levels of odd."

Emma chuckled. "Well you are pretty hot," she added with a wink which Mal just rolled her eyes at. "But in all seriousness, I think you need to tell her you're not interested." She then glanced over and saw that Mulan was still sitting at her table, Aurora and Philip Jr were nowhere to be seen, looking over at Mal. Realising she'd been caught, the warrior finished her coffee and stood up before slipping out of the diner as quickly as if she was on fire. "I think she has competition though."

The dragon turned around just in time to see Mulan leave. She looked back at Emma with a small flush on her face.

"As I live and breathe, does Maleficent have a crush?" Emma gasped as all the looks sunk in.

"Oh shut up," Mal scoffed and threw some fries at Emma. "I don't even know her and by the looks of it, I won't have a chance if she's friends with the brat."

"You'll be surprised," Emma murmured. "There are a lot of unrequited feelings over there. I wouldn't be surprised if she's looking for something else."

"Meaning?" Mal asked, after a few bites of her burger. She didn't know if Granny put something special into it, but it really was delicious.

Emma sighed and quickly put up a silencing spell around them. She didn't want anything she was about to say to get back to Aurora, Mulan or Philip. "Mulan had feelings for Aurora," she revealed before telling the dragon everything she knew.

Despite her initial plans to go to the library and spend some time by herself, Emma realised that she didn't want to. As she sat with her friend and daughter, she realised she was having much too fun teasing the dragon about Mulan, and persuading her daughter to eat her veg, she was far too much like Emma in that sense. She wasn't going to give it up to spend some time on her own.

Sure, she knew she could use some quality time to herself to do what she wanted. She hadn't really had that in the last few weeks with all the drama going on but as she sat there, watching Ally finally cave and eat some broccoli, she realised that this was where she wanted to be. She rested her hand on her tiny bump, feeling herself smile at the sensation. Her friends and family were the most important things in the world and she couldn't wait to meet the new edition. She just hoped the pregnancy would go smoothly, especially with her wife's crazy ex around who was now fully aware of the baby.

 _A/N: Sorry for the short delay again, I'm currently curled up in bed with a fever. Reviews would make this illness go away I'm sure ;) I'm just kidding! I hope everyone is still loving the story as much as I love you guys for reading it (which is a whole lot!). Love, Emss x_


	62. Chapter 62

When Emma stepped over the threshold with Alexandra on her hip later that afternoon, she was met by a strong aroma of garlic. Inhaling, she headed to the kitchen and saw Regina standing by the stove.

"Mommy!" Ally called, pulling the Mayor out of her cooking zone.

"Hello, my darlings," Regina replied as she stepped away from the stove. She crossed the room and gave Ally a peck on her forehead and Emma a quick kiss before returning to the pans. "How was your day?"

At the question, Emma tensed. It seemed Regina didn't know what had happened in the diner, somehow. Usually news in Storybrooke spread like a wildfire in a dry dessert. Instead of answering at first, she turned to her daughter. "Do you wanna do some drawing until dinner?"

Ally's eyes lit up in excitement at the prospect. She adored colouring in. "Yes please, Mama." Emma smiled at how polite her daughter was. She placed her down at the table, making sure she was comfortable and conjured up some paper and some crayons. Ally got to work straight away, scribbling ferociously on the page.

Once she was distracted, Emma crossed the room to stand beside her wife who was checking on the food. She rested her back against the draw and crossed her arms. "The meeting with David and Killian was interrupted by Robin," she revealed slowly.

Regina had been stirring the sauce and paused as she absorbed what her wife had just said. Her head snapped to the side. "What happened? Are you okay?" She dropped the spoon and cupped Emma's cheeks, scanning her face for any sign of injuring, which made the blonde chuckle.

"I'm fine," she assured her before taking one of her hands and kissing her palm before Regina reluctantly stepped back to concentrate on their food. She bit her lip nervously. "He found out about the baby and accused me of cheating on you, so he spat at me. Then he called me a girlfriend stealing harlot. David was furious and punched him in the face before arresting him. I'm not sure if he's been let out yet."

The spoon fell out of Regina's hand once more. "He did what?!" She cried.

"Mommy?"

The two mothers glanced back at their daughter who looked worried at the sudden noise increase. Emma rushed over and pecked Ally on her forehead. "It's okay, honey," she reassured her. "You can keep drawing."

Ally didn't look convinced but turned back to her picture. Emma glanced at the paper and had no clue what it was, but she was sure it would end up on the fridge with some of Alexandra's other 'masterpieces'.

"Sorry," Regina muttered when Emma returned to her side. The blonde wrapped her arm around her wife and hugged her before stepping back. "You're not a harlot and I know for a fact you didn't cheat on me." Regina started stirring a frantically, causing sauce to fly everywhere. Emma had to rest her hand over the brunette's to calm her down.

Emma sighed. She reached out and stole a cherry tomato of out the salad bowl beside her. "I know. I told David and Killian about the curse, but they didn't know what to do. Rumple and Belle overhead and have said that they'll look into it too." She shrugged. "But Rumple agreed with Mal. If Blue says there's no cure, then there isn't."

Regina hummed in agreement. "Yes, Fairy Dust isn't his area of expertise after all. Stop stealing!" She chastised with a laugh when Emma went to steal another tomato. "You'll spoil your dinner."

Emma glanced at what was cooking. "What's on the menu?"

"Ratatouille and chicken with some salad on the side," Regina said pointing to the various aspects of the dish. She frowned when she realised just how much mess she had cause with her angry stirring a few moments ago. After a quick wave of her hand, the stove was as good as new. She smiled as she turned to her wife. "It'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"It looks delicious," Emma commented before stealing a kiss from her wife which she deepened as soon as their lips brushed against each other's. She licked at Regina's lower lip, asking for entrance which was quickly allowed. When their slippery muscles collided and started to dance against each other, Emma couldn't help the moan. Eventually, they had to pull apart so Regina could continue cooking. "You're delicious."

Regina simply winked before going back to the stove. "Stop distracting me or you'll have a burnt dinner."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Mayor chuckled as she concentrated on the cooking. While she did that, Emma checked on Ally who was fully invested in her drawing once more, so Emma went in search of Henry. He was quickly found in the living room on the PlayStation.

"Hey, Ma," he greeted without looking away from the screen. "Wanna join?"

"Sure."

She sat beside him and entered game. The mother and son passed the time until dinner killing zombie after zombie.

oOoOo

That evening after the two put Ally to bed, Regina pulled Emma into their bedroom. Emma's brow furrowed in confusion as they would usually head downstairs and put something on the TV and snuggle before they retired for the evening.

As they entered the room, Regina waved her hands and the light was turned out and replaced with perfectly positioned candles. The flickering flames filled the room with a comforting warmth and delicious smells as the scent of vanilla and honey floated through the air.

"Would you care for a massage, Mrs Swan-Mills?" Regina asked as she turned to her wife, a bottle of massage oil already in her hand. Emma had no idea when she'd conjured it.

Nodding, she smiled. "I'd love one, Mrs Swan-Mills."

With being Mayor, Regina had been able to speed up the process of their name changing. Henry and Alexandra had also had their names changed to Swan-Mills, well Alexandra hadn't technically had a surname up until then.

The two headed to over to the bed and Regina pulled her wife in for a soft but loving kiss, sliding her tongue gently against Emma's, making Emma hum in contentment. When they pulled back, Regina wasted no time in slipping Emma's top off, allowing Emma to unsnap her bra clasp to remove the item.

"Lay down," Regina instructed and Emma followed quickly.

She laid in the centre of the bed and Regina quickly joined her. She straddled her thighs and snapped the lid of the lotion off before dripping the cold drops down the centre of Emma's back. The blonde shivered at the sudden temperature change before moaning as Regina's hands got to work.

It wasn't the first massage she'd given but they were few and far between; the two used them as treats towards each other. Regina worked her finger tips down Emma's spine before spreading the lotion over her shoulders, devoting attention to one blade before crossing to the other. She dropped a few more droplets of oil on her back once more before concentrating on the blonde's lower back, pulling down the top of her jeans for more access. However, the article of clothing was getting her way, so she flicked her wrists and removed both of their items of clothing.

Emma went to question the sudden change but then moaned when she felt Regina's bare thighs resting on hers and her bare breasts as she leant forward to kiss Emma's neck.

Regina continued to work, trying not to get distracted by the sounds coming out of her wife's lips. As she worked on a particularly tight knot at the bottom of Emma's back, the blonde couldn't stop the moans slipping out of her mouth at the relief.

"You're so good at this," Emma murmured contently, her eyes slipping shut as she relaxed into her wife's touch. In fact, after a couple more minutes, Emma's appreciative moans turned into soft snores and Regina realised she'd fallen asleep.

Chuckling softly, she slipped off her legs. She waved her hands a few times so that the oil was wiped of Emma's back and she magically moved her so that she was now lying underneath the duvet. Another wave of her hands and all the candles disappeared before she slipped into bed beside her wife and let sleep take over.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up the next morning, still feeling fully relaxed from Regina's massage and a good night's sleep, she decided to return the favour for her wife. Slowly, she slipped out of Regina's embrace and crossed the room. After she'd put on her night gown, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Once inside, she paused over decided what to make her wife. She knew she wouldn't want a hearty breakfast or an unhealthy meal to start off her Saturday. Emma grinned at the prospect of the weekend. While she thought about what to make her wife, she turned the coffee machine on to start brewing. She got two mugs out and the cream before she heard some shuffling behind her.

Turning around, she saw a sleepy Henry swearing his oversized Star Wars pyjama top that had once belonged to Neal that Henry had borrowed when he'd stayed with his father. He still wore it as it was a comfort to have his father around.

"Morning, Kid," Emma greeted with a smile.

Henry grunted in response as he got another mug out and placed it beside the coffee machine. Emma couldn't help the chuckle as she poured out two coffees for them. The teenager added plenty of cream before taking two long sips.

"Morning," he replied eventually.

"You're too much like Regina sometimes," Emma chuckled. "She can't cope on a morning without coffee."

Henry smiled at the comparison. It was always awkward in the past when his mothers compared him to the other but seeing the huge grin and affection on Emma's face as she compared him to Regina made him happy.

"Is Mom still sleeping?" He asked after another few sips of coffee.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking of making her breakfast in bed. Ally will sleep for a little longer yet."

"French toast," Henry said simply.

The blonde raised her eyebrow. "For you or your Mom?"

"Mom," Henry affirmed. "She prefers it to pancakes but pancakes are easier, plus I prefer them so that's why she tends to make pancakes all the time."

Emma's heart filled with warmth and love as she heard that. Her wife willingly made something she didn't want as much to keep their son happy. How she thought Regina was an unfit mother at first completely baffled her. The woman was a saint.

"Right you are. You get the bread ready and I'll start prepping the mixture," Emma decided.

The two worked together rather easily. After the batter was made and Emma started to cook, Henry got some fruit out of the fridge and started prepping some raspberries and strawberries to go with their breakfast.

After a few minutes, Emma laden up the tray with two plates of French toast, a small jug of maple syrup and a bowl of fruit along with cutlery and a large mug of coffee. With her first small coffee she was now up to the limit of caffeine she should drink that day.

Henry also had a plate of French toast and a lot more syrup than fruit, but Emma promised not to tell her wife as long as Henry kept her caffeinated coffee from her.

Carefully, Emma made her way up to her room and saw that Regina was still sleeping but was now cuddling Emma's pillow with the blonde being absent. She couldn't help but find it adorable. After placing the tray down on her bedside table, Emma slipped back into bed and gently pulled the pillow out of Regina's arms, but the brunette grumbled and kept a firm grip on it.

"Ginny, honey, it's me," Emma said gently.

The Mayor started to stir and slowly let go of the pillow. "Em?"

"I'm right here," Emma assured her before swooping down and stealing a kiss. "I brought breakfast."

Slowly, Regina came round before pushing herself up in the bed. She glanced over at what Emma had brought up and her eyes twinkled with joy.

"French toast?"

Emma nodded and brought the tray between the two of them. "And a coffee for my beautiful wife."

"This looks great, thank you, honey." Regina pressed a soft kiss to Emma's smiling lips before taking a long sip of her coffee, sighing in delight at the perfection, black with one sweetener.

The two then dug into their breakfast before it was time to start the day.

Emma was the first to head into the shower while Regina persuaded Ally to wake up with the promise of food. She was very much like Emma in that way that she thought first with her stomach. It was a trait that she adored. Well, she adored everything about her daughter, even her reluctance to wake up, but that was something she adored especially.

Regina swapped duties with her wife and headed to the shower while Emma made sure that Ally actually had some fruit with her French toast, again, she was a little reluctant to eat something healthy, but she drank her apple juice happily.

Once everyone was ready for the day, Henry suggested that they had a Harry Potter movie day as he hadn't seen them in ages, apparently. Seeing no reason against it, Emma put the first disc in. While Harry, Ron and Hermione set about finding the Philosopher's Stone, Ally was content to sit on her beanbag and play with her teddies. In addition to her favoured dragon teddy, which Ally had recently decided was named Drago, Ruby had bought her a wolf which she had said was called Kelly, so the tot was currently having a tea party with the two. Emma and Regina kept swapping between watching the film and their daughter as both were equally entertaining.

When it hit lunch time, Henry paused the film, now part way through the Prisoner of Azkaban, as the doorbell rang.

Regina glanced at her wife. "Are you expecting anyone?"

Emma shook her head. "Not that I can think of?"

Perplexed, Emma headed to the door to reveal the rest of Operation Phoenix, this time minus Rumple and Lina.

"What are you guys doing here?" Emma asked.

Ruby beamed. "Planning committee for your wedding party! Let us in!"

Emma's eyes widened in shock as she stepped back to let them in. Zelena looked just as excited as her girlfriend but Mal and Belle were a little more reserved. Hook just looked confused.

"I'm just here to say hi to Al Pal," he said with a smile. "Where is she?"

At the sound of the voices, Regina and Henry entered the hallway with Ally running after them.

"Killi!" She cried when she saw her favourite pirate.

"It's my first mate!" Killian replied, smiling just as brightly as he saw her. "I've missed you!"

Ally ran straight up to him and he wasted no time in lifting her up and hugging her close. All the adults look on fondly at the scene until Henry cleared his throat. "Soooo, what are you all doing here?"

"Party planning!" Ruby revealed.

"What party?" Regina asked, completely confused by the sudden group of people in her foyer.

"For your wedding," Ruby replied as if it was obvious. She held up the bag in her hands. "I brought food from Granny's. Let's goooo!"

She then took off and headed to the dining room now that she knew where it was. Zelena followed, chuckling at her girlfriend's antics, with Belle following. Henry shrugged as if it was completely normal and followed the rest to the dining room. Just like his mother and sister, he also lived life with his thoughts on food.

Emma and Hook headed through as well with Ally still clinging onto the pirate until it was just Regina and Mal left again.

"You have got to stop allowing this to happen," Regina sighed before chuckling. "Or at least give me some warning. I gave you a phone for a reason."

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "That horrible thing." She shuddered. "I can't figure out how to work it. Just be happy I can work the computer contraption at work."

Regina chuckled as the two headed into the dining room. With her false memories brought by the curse, she had been able to use a computer and mobile easily. She even had the knowledge on how to drive and cook, though the latter she had refine by reading cookery books and watching shows. Sometimes she forgot that Mal didn't have an alter ego. As she had been locked under the library in her dragon form, she hadn't been given the false memories of how to cope in Storybrooke. Regina bit her lip in guilt before shaking her head, snapping herself out of it.

Once they entered the dining room, they were greeted again by a large spread of sandwiches, chips, dips and some salad. Clearly Ruby had remembered Regina's request for some slightly healthier food last time. As she looked at Emma, she saw that the blonde already had a full plate of food and was happily demolishing a cheese and pickle sandwich, getting the pickle all over her mouth.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her wife, making her blush and slowly lower her sandwich.

"Your kid's hungry," she explained guilty, wiping her mouth to get rid of the mess. "Blame them, not me."

At the mention of the baby, Belly piped up. "Do you know what you're having yet?"

Emma shook her head. "It's still too early. We've got an appointment booked in a couple of weeks' time."

"We could throw a gender reveal party!" Ruby cheered excitedly making Regina roll her eyes. At the action, Ruby's excitement reeled in. "Or maybe not."

Emma chuckled. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet."

Ruby nodded solemnly before pulling out a notepad. "So for this party…"

She then went onto to reveal all of her plans for the party she wanted to hold and the more she said, the more Emma realised that the wolf was deadly set on arranging it. Apparently, she'd already cleared with Granny to close down the diner to the public to host it there. She was also narrowing down a guest list, though Regina was confused as to who would want to turn up any way. There would also be food and drinks on. They were just contemplating what the entertainment would be. Yzma had passed away before Regina had cast her curse, though she wasn't too sure of what as she wasn't that old.

"The entertainment will probably be Robin if he catches wind of this," Emma murmured sadly.

Unexpectedly, Ruby giggled and Zelena blushed making Emma's eyes snap open and look at them.

"What happened?" She asked.

Zelena glanced at Ruby who was biting her lip, trying not to laugh, and the Witch quickly realised that she was going to have to be the one to tell the story.

"So Ruby and I were having dinner at Granny's last night," she began, "and Ruby said she wanted to start planning this party. Robin overheard about it and started to get angry. He is cursed too, completely, you can see it in his eyes," she added. Ruby had naturally filled her girlfriend in about everything as per Emma's request. "Anyway, we managed to subdue him," she bit her lip nervously, "well, I turned his outfit pink and tied his shoe laces together. It distracted him from the conversation."

Ruby started to laugh again, indicating that there was more to the story.

"What are you not saying?" Emma asked, her eyebrow raised in the true Regina fashion, but also unable to keep herself from chuckling.

Surprisingly, it was Maleficent who answered. "She cast another spell on him as he was leaving that made him look naked to everyone else, but to him, he was still in his pink outfit. It was a ghastly sight. Mulan almost chocked on her dinner."

At the mention of the name, Regina turned to her best friend. Her eyebrow perfect raised. "Mulan?!"

Maleficent blushed before she coughed to cover up her embarrassment. "We had dinner together," she said as nonchalantly as she could, but Regina wasn't buying it. She opened her mouth to say something, but Emma coughed quietly.

"Not now, honey," she murmured as she could see everyone's attention was focused on the dragon who clearly didn't want to be the centre of attention at that moment. Instead, she spoke up. "What did he do when he realised the spell?"

Mal smiled gratefully at her friend at the swerve back in the conversation.

"I never took it off him," Zelena replied. "I doubt he knows."

"That's brilliant!" Henry piped up. "I hope it lasts forever after what he's put us though. He deserves some public humiliation." He raised his hand and Zelena met him halfway for a high five.

Regina watched over and raised her eyebrow at her son and sister. However, everyone was surprised when she didn't chastise her sister for her actions. Instead, she simply picked up a prawn salad sandwich and took a bite.

"Actually," Emma said, looking at Belle, "have you and Rumple managed to find anything about that yet?"

Belle frowned and shook her head. "Not yet, but we'll keep looking. Don't worry."

Emma smiled. "Thank you, you're a star." She then picked up another sandwich, again one slathered with pickles and practically moaned at the taste. "Please thank Granny for the spread," she said to Ruby.

The wolf nodded and smiled before it faltered. She glanced at Maleficent who was concentrating on her own sandwich before revealed to the room what Mal already thought to be true.

"I'm kinda worried about her," the wolf sighed. "Granny thinks she's in love with Maleficent."


	63. Chapter 63

At the revelation, Regina burst out laughing uncontrollably until everyone turned to look at her and she realised that Ruby was being serious.

"You've got to be joking?" She said through her giggles. "Granny and Maleficent?"

Ruby nodded, biting her lip nervously. "I don't even know how it happened," she revealed and sighed. Zelena reached out and squeezed her knee supportively. "She mentioned it one day and I thought she was joking. My reaction was the same as Regina's." She nodded in Regina's direction who was blushing at her reaction. "But then I realised she was serious." She shook her head. "I don't know what to do about." She looked at Mal hopefully.

The dragon was hesitant to respond but when she realised all eyes were on her, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know either. I've not encouraged it intentionally."

"But you didn't put her off either," Emma added, reminding her friend of their lunch the previous day.

"I'll put her straight next time it happens," Mal promised and looked at Ruby.

"I just don't want Granny to be upset," Ruby sighed. "She's never seemed so happy. I think she genuinely thinks she has a chance with you."

"We can introduce her to Laverne," Emma piped up with a chuckle. "They're the same age, similar hobbies," she shrugged, "a recipe made in heaven."

Hook pondered the suggestion before chuckling. "I agree actually," he murmured. "They'd be an interesting match."

Emma nodded. "Then it's agreed. Mal," she turned to look at her friend, "if you turn Granny down gently, we can make sure that Laverne is there to pick up the pieces. Simple."

Regina raised her eyebrow at her wife. There was no way that Laverne would agree to it easily, but she was sure that her wife would be able to persuade the stubborn cook if no one else could. "I can't wait to witness that."

The conversation moved away from Granny and Mal to teasing the others about their relationships. Belle was asked how Rumple was coping now that he was being 'nice' and apparently, he was actually doing well. Well, he hadn't really got into any situations where his dark side had been tempted. The small librarian then quietly revealed that the two were actually trying for a baby which the rest of the group congratulated and enthused happily.

Hook was the next target, but he was oddly mute about it. All he revealed was that he was very happy but had yet to find the moment to propose. When Zelena tried to delve deeper, he just stayed quiet and shook his head. Even when Emma asked, he didn't budge, so everyone left him alone and Mal decided to get Ruby back.

"So how's things between the two of you?" She asked, turning to the wolf and witch. "Things getting serious?" She them hummed the wedding march making Zelena, who was sitting beside the dragon, send a zap down her arm.

"We're not at that point yet," Ruby said as she glanced lovingly at her girlfriend, "but everything is going amazingly and the _sex_ –"

"Aaaaand I'm leaving," Henry said as he suddenly rose from his chair. He picked his sister up who looked completely baffled at the suddenness of it. "Shall we go watch TV, Al Pal, and leave the adults to it?"

"Peppa Pig?" Ally asked, her voice full of hope making Henry chuckle.

"Of course!"

Henry then left the room without any further ado and when the adults turned the TV on, Emma burst out laughing and sent a zap towards the wolf. "You scarred my kid, idiot."

Ruby just laughed it off. "What can I say? It's so mind-blowing that I can't help myself."

Zelena, however, had the decency to be embarrassed. "I apologise for my girlfriend."

"You're weren't apologising last night," Ruby teased, her eyebrows waggling.

"Alright ladies," Hook interrupted, laughing. "I think that's enough of that."

Ruby went to complain but when she caught Regina's raised eyebrow, she shrunk back in her chair and swallowed. "So about the party..."

At that, Emma rolled her eyes. "We don't need a party, Rubes."

The wolf's eyes flashed: a challenge. "We'll see about that."

oOoOo

After a while, everyone started to make their way home. Emma and Regina still hadn't agreed to the party that Ruby was insistent on throwing, but at least she'd not brought up her and Zelena's sex life once more. Henry had stayed away from the dining room with Ally. Hook had joined them after a while, preferring their company to the ladies' but he too had left when the others had.

Once again, it was only Regina, Emma and Mal left over. Instead of staying in the dining room, after Regina had magically tidied the room, the three retired to Regina's study. Regina and Emma took up one sofa, with the brunette's arm wrapped protectively around her wife, holding her close. Mal sat on the opposite sofa, nursing a hot cup of coffee between her hands, the heat not affecting her in the slightest.

"So Mulan?" Regina asked gently.

"It's all very nice," Mal murmured. "I mean, I'd never seen Mulan before well I might have, but not noticed her. Anyway, after what happened at the diner, I bumped into her when I was walking home. She apologised for Aurora's behaviour and asked if there was anything she could do to make it up to me. That's how I knew that she was nothing like that good for nothing child." She scoffed. Emma's eyebrows raised in surprise. It always shocked her to hear how much distaste there was whenever the dragon spoke about Aurora or her mother. Then again, she didn't really know what the full story was between them. She'd never dared to ask. "So I asked her if she wanted to go for dinner and she surprised me by saying yes." She smiled softly. "Obviously the evening was slightly interrupted with Zelena's little scene, but we agreed to see each other again." She shrugged. "I'm not sure if they're dates, but I'm not complaining."

Regina reached out and squeezed her friend's knee. "I'm happy for you," she said honestly. "From what I've seen of Mulan, she really is lovely."

Mal blushed as she smiled nervously. "It's very early days and like I said, I don't know how she sees it and if it was to continue, she'd have to pick between myself and the brat so I'm not sure."

At the second harsh mention of Aurora, Emma finally had to ask. "Mal, what is the beef between you and Aurora?"

The dragon's eyes flashed yellow, showing the beast within her. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at Regina, silently asking her something. The Mayor shook her head and Mal look rather surprised before looking at the other blonde.

"I'd have thought Regina would have told you by now."

"It's not my story to tell."

Mal nodded and took a deep breath. "Before I met Regina, when I was a young girl, I was friends with Aurora's father, Stephan. He was a few years older than me and a knight in the King's army. I fell head over heels in love with him and I thought he loved me too. He was the only one in the Kingdom that I knew about my being a dragon. He was the only one I trusted but then there was fire in part of the Kingdom, it killed many people. Stephan blamed me and had me kicked out the Kingdom. He then told me he never loved me and made it up." She sighed. "He didn't just break my heart, he crushed it. So I retired to my castle and worked on my power, learning everything I could do. A few years later, I met Regina who inspired me to go after what I wanted which was revenge on Stephan, but I knew I couldn't hurt him directly, so I went after his wife, Briar Rose and later, Aurora. She is so like her parents, it's aggravating."

At the term, Emma could sense something else in Mal's voice. There was something she wasn't telling her, but she didn't want to call her out on it.

"Tell her everything, Mal," Regina murmured quietly. Emma glanced to her wife, but Regina was still looking at Maleficent.

The dragon sighed. "I say Aurora is like her parents." She swallowed nervously. "She's like her father and adoptive mother." Mal looked up and looked Emma in the eye, but the other blonde could already guess what she was about to say. "Aurora is my daughter."

"How?" Emma couldn't understand. She turned to Regina. "You said Mal didn't have a child?"

"I don't," Mal affirmed. "I signed my rights away to her secretly. As far as the Kingdom knew, she was the daughter of the King and Queen. Briar Rose and I looked similar, so we got away with it. She was born before Stephan shunned me away, he was already married to Briar Rose, but he told me that night he was going to leave her for me." She scoffed. "What a bag of lies. Anyway, I got pregnant and told Stephan. He said Briar Rose couldn't have children and asked if they could have Aurora as their own. I wanted nothing to do with him, so I agreed. Aurora knows now that she's old enough, but she shunned me and refused to believe she was my daughter. She has too much of her father in her for the dragon power to have won so she never turned so I can't prove it that way. As far as I'm concerned, she isn't my daughter, she's theirs. I told Mulan all this when I saw her because I wanted her to know everything before anything could happen."

Emma paused for a moment to take it all in. "So you're sorta staring to date the woman who crushed on your daughter?" She glanced at Regina. "Is that even legal?"

Regina chuckled. "Of course it's legal. But this is Storybrooke, anything can happen and age doesn't matter here. I mean, look at us. I'm old enough to be your grandmother and I was once your mother's stepmother."

"True." There was nothing else to say to that. Regina had a valid point. Emma turned back to her friend. "I'm glad you told me."

"I never though I'd see her again so I didn't think it would come up," she revealed. "I think that's why I insult her so much. She chose to go against me and won't believe me and Stephan never tried to help after Briar Rose died. I gave up with them."

"Perhaps Mulan is the one to heal the wound between you," Emma surmised quietly.

"Some wounds are too deep," Mal murmured as see took a sip of her now rapidly cooling coffee. "There's only so much you can do."

After the incredibly deep conversation, Emma suggested the three joined Henry and Ally in the living room. Ally was sitting on her beanbag with Drago the dragon and Kelly the wolf, play a game with her dolls. Henry was switching between keeping an eye on his sister and finishing the Harry Potter film.

The adults joined with Emma and Henry taking turns in explaining what was going on to Maleficent who was completely baffled at the film. It wasn't helped with starting halfway through the third film, but she was starting to understand by the end. She stayed to watch the fourth film as Henry had told her about the Hungarian Horntail dragon that intrigued her.

By the end of the film, she was thoroughly impressed, convinced that the filmmakers had seen a real dragon. Apparently, there was a similar dragon that she'd met in the Enchanted Forest.

Once the Goblet of Fire had finished, Mal ended up staying for dinner too and shared a bottle of wine with Regina who was enjoying having a drinking buddy while Emma was pregnant. Naturally the blonde grumbled as her wife passed a glass right under her nose. But that evening, once Mal and gone home, the kids were asleep and the two of them were in bed, Regina caressed her bump and told her how excited she was about the baby, she knew it was all worth it.

oOoOo

A few days later, Emma was passing time at work by playing darts. To make it more amusing, for her, she'd added a picture of Robin to the board and it was rather satisfying piercing his face all over with the sharp darts. It was just a shame she couldn't do it in person.

Since Zelena's stint, she hadn't heard anything about him. She always found it really baffling. Aside from the first time when she was walking home from Maid Bakery, he hadn't actually sought her out. Whenever she saw him, he just happened to be there. He also wouldn't start anything unless Regina was mentioned in relation to her. Like when she mentioned the baby, Robin had gotten angry thing that she had cheated on her wife, or when Ruby mentioned wanting to throw a wedding party for the two. Only then did Robin get mad. Perhaps it was the curse. Regardless of that, Emma was pleased that she didn't have to be on constant look out for him.

After she threw the last dart, cheering when it hit the thief square in the forehead, she waved her hand to summon the darts back so that she didn't have to get up. Now at fifteen weeks pregnant, she kept getting out of breath easily, so she didn't really want to move. Yet at the same time, she had many bouts of energy, usually surprising Regina at night as she seemed to be insatiable. The Mayor wasn't complaining.

As she started to throw the darts again, Charming walked into the office holding a bag from Granny's.

"I brought lunch," he said as he stared to unbox the food.

The strong smell of onion rings hit Emma and she beamed. "Those onion rings had better be for me."

"I got you two boxes on purposed," Charming revealed, passing said boxes to his daughter.

"Best Dad ever," she chuckled.

At the term, Charming couldn't hide his grin. Emma never referred to him or Snow as her parents and the fact that she just had made him feel so proud. He loved his daughter just as much as he loved his son and wished that she could see him that way, but he knew that it must be difficult for her and he respected her. He hoped one day that Emma would call him 'Dad', but he wasn't going to demand it.

"I also got you a grilled cheese," he said as he passed over the box.

Emma eyed it as she took it slowly from him. "What are you up to?"

"Can't a colleague and friend buy his other colleague and friend lunch?" Charming asked, feigning ignorance that Emma had caught him out.

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "No, you're up to something."

Realising he'd been caught, Charming slumped down in his chair. He took a bite of his burger and a sip of his soda before sighing. "Snow wants you, Regina, Henry and Ally to come for dinner tomorrow."

"Oh does she?" Emma responded. "I don't think that would be such a good idea."

"She wants to try, Em," Charming sighed. "It doesn't have to be a family meal. It can just be some friends getting together."

Emma hesitated. On the one hand, she did want to go. She wanted to see her brother again and see how big he'd gotten and to see what he was like now that he was a few months old. Yet on the other hand, she knew that something would go wrong. Regina had put aside her and Snow's differences for now, but she didn't know how long it would last. If Snow did something wrong, no matter how tiny it was, Emma knew for a fact that Regina wouldn't hesitate to poof them away.

"I'll talk to Regina about it," Emma said eventually. She took a bite out of her grilled cheese and sighed happily. "Though I'm game if it means you keep buying me my faves."

Charming grinned. He knew that Emma always thought with her stomach, he did too. He just hoped that she could concentrate on that if she managed to persuade Regina to go to dinner. There were so many things that could go wrong during the evening, but he hoped that that wouldn't be the case.

oOoOo

When Emma got home that evening, she spoke to Regina about Charming's invitation. As predicted, the Mayor was a little apprehensive about it all. Partially because she'd already planned the next day's dinner but also because she didn't really want to see Snow. She knew that her former stepdaughter still wasn't thrilled that the two were together and she didn't want Henry or Ally to get caught up in it all.

"We can go," Regina had said in bed that evening. She turned to face Emma, snuggling into her side and kissing her softly. "But if she says one thing out of line–"

"You'll poof us home," Emma finished. She wasn't quite sure what Regina's threat was going to be, most likely force the former princess to eat another poisoned apple, but she didn't want to hear it.

Regina chuckled which confirmed that that was not what she was about to say. "That'll work."

Emma couldn't help the small laugh at that too. She kissed her wife softly and cuddled her close before falling asleep.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma text Charming to inform him that Regina had agreed. If Charming was surprised, he didn't show it in his reply. He simply stated that dinner would be ready at seven and asked if Ally would be joining for food. Emma had declined that offer as Ally usually ate at around five but thanked him for the offer.

Therefore, promptly at six forty-five, Henry stepped over the threshold of the loft with his mothers following him. Ally was perched on Regina's hip as Emma found she got a little tired carrying her at the moment. Once through the door, Emma removed her coat and helped Regina take hers off without having to swap Ally over. Emma then took Ally's coat off and she hung the three up on the coat rack behind them. Henry had refused to wear any type of jacket, stating that it was too warm, so he just rushed straight into the room to hug his grandfather in greeting.

Charming had clearly been drying up some of the posts as he had a tea towel in his hands. He threw it over his shoulder as she saw his grandson running towards him.

"Hello, Champ!" Charming greeted before looking over to his daughter and now daughter in law. "Hey guys. Would you like a drink?"

"I'll just have water thanks," Emma said.

"Water is fine for me too," Regina added but Emma could see straight through her. She knew her wife would rather have a strong whiskey to get through the evening, but Emma had promised her sexual favours later if she refrained from turning to alcohol.

Charming nodded and got them both a bottle of chilled water from the fridge before passing Henry a coke, knowing his grandson's favourite drink. He then glanced at Alexandra who was hiding in Regina's neck. "What about you, sweetie, what would you like?"

Ally turned and looked at her grandfather. "Apple juice, please," she requested politely.

"Like mother, like daughter, apparently," said another voice.

Regina turned round and Emma could see her wife mentally count to five before responding. "Good evening, Mary Margaret."

"Good evening," she greeted back. "Sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. I was just putting Neal down for a nap."

As usual, Emma shuddered slightly at her brother's name. Regina reached out and squeezed her hand, but Snow didn't notice it, as usual.

"Dinner should be ready in ten," Snow said as she checked the oven. "You can take a seat at the table while I dish up."

Emma nodded before heading over, Regina and Henry joining them. Though as the sat down, they realised Ally had nowhere to sit. Regina passed the tot over to her wife as she rolled her eyes, before waving her hand and conjuring a high chair for her.

"Oh sorry, I forgot about that," Snow said, looking at the new chair as she brought over her sausage casserole, placing it in the centre. "I'll try to remember for next time."

Again, Emma watched as Regina counted to calm herself down, though this time, it looked like it was to ten and not five.

Soon enough, Snow and Charming sat down at the table, the latter having brought over a salad bowl to add to the meal. They each dished out their own food, Henry and Emma both trying to avoid taking any salad, but after a raised eyebrow from Regina, they both sheepishly took a spoonful each.

"This looks great, Grandma," Henry complimented, ever the polite grandson and Snow beamed at him.

"So how has everyone been?" Snow asked. "I've heard a lot of _interesting_ things going on."

Emma's fork paused on her first mouthful, her _first_. She hadn't even taken a bite before Snow started. _Here we go_ , she thought.

"It's Storybrooke, Mary Margaret," she reminded her. "It's never going to be quiet."

"I just mean with what's been going on about Robin," Snow continued. Regina's fork then clattered out of her hand and again, Snow didn't notice. "Charming said he's had to arrest him a few times now for disorderly behaviour? I think it's a bit silly arresting a man because he's angry that he can't be with his Soulmate."

"He is not her Soulmate," Emma hissed quietly, not wanting to scare Ally.

"Don't be ridiculous, Emma, I know about the Pixie Dust," Snow replied. "Pixie Dust doesn't lie."

"It does in the wrong hands!" Emma snapped, already losing patience with her mother. "Why can't you get it into your head that Regina and I are True Loves?!"

"Because that is not how my story is meant to end!"

The tension in the room rose as everyone, including Alexandra, turned to Snow.


	64. Chapter 64

"Sorry, what did you just say?" Emma asked, as if she hadn't heard what Snow had just said.

Even Charming was staring at his wife in utter bafflement. His fork was half raised to his mouth and his jaw dropped in shock.

Snow continued as if she hadn't just sounded like the privileged princess she was. "My life has been ruined over and over by you," she pointed at Regina, "and now you're forcing your way into my family, _again_ , but this time through my daughter and not my father, when you have your _Soulmate_ out there." She then turned to Emma. "You're being so selfish putting yourself between them."

Emma's mouth dropped again and she laughed in disbelief. Instead of responding, she turned to Henry. "I'm sending you and Ally to Zelena's," she said and Henry nodded without asking any questions. He knew what was about to be said wouldn't be pretty and it was definitely better for Ally to be out of earshot. He knew he had to go with her to explain to Zelena what was going on. After picking a confused Ally up out of her highchair, he braced himself to be transported.

With a quick wave of Emma's hand, Henry and Alexandra disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. Once it cleared, Emma turned back to her mother.

"How on _earth_ am I being selfish?" She almost screamed.

Regina reached out and squeezed her wife's hand, silently asking her to calm down for the sake of their baby.

"They're destined to be together," Snow stated as if it was simple. "Just like Charming and I were. You're getting in the way of Pixie Dust which is powerful magic. You're being reckless and stupid. It isn't charming like your father."

Emma blinked, completely dumfounded. Again, she didn't understand how someone with her level of intelligence came from someone so completely idiotic. She couldn't blame her wife for renaming them, well at least Snow, the idiots.

"You don't know _anything_ about magic, _Mary Margaret_ ," she emphasised with woman's cursed name, showing that she wanted to keep a large distance between the two of them. "It's like I said to David, Robin was cursed because of the Pixie Dust. He is _not_ Regina's Soulmate. I am. He most definitely is not her True Love. _I_ am!" She pulled on her and Regina's joined hands to rest on her slightly showing bump. "This baby is the product of our True Love, just like Alexandra is. Why can't you just accept that? You promised to put the past behind you!"

"Emma, what I think your mother–"

However, Emma cut off whatever Charming was about to say. "She is _not_ my mother," she seethed, her voice thick with venom.

"Emma!" Snow cried, so loudly that she woke the baby.

"I'll get him," Regina offered, knowing that Emma and Snow needed to stay in the moment and she trusted Charming to not let the two hurt each other.

"Don't you dare touch my baby!" Snow hissed, blocking Regina's path.

"Snow," Charming murmured softly but she wasn't having it. Snow rushed out of the room and towards the shrieking baby.

While she was gone, Emma tired to calm herself down. She knew that she needed to be calm for the baby, but it was just so difficult with having Snow in her life. It was then that she realised what the only solution should be. She just didn't know how well it would go down.

After a few moments, Snow returned, without Neal, but she still looked furious.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, the two pairs sitting at opposite sides of the table. Charming was keeping his distance from his wife as he didn't want to overcrowd her, but Regina still had hold of Emma's hand, showing her support, knowing they could face anything as long as they were together.

"Do you really not see me as your mother?" Snow asked quietly, practically whispering.

"It's like I've said, you've not done anything to earn the title," Emma replied just as quietly, thankful that Snow had brought the decibels down. However, she knew it was only because of Neal, not because she was calm. "I'm an adult, I don't need someone to mollycoddle me. I have my own children and a wife who looks after me and supports me. I never had a mother to know what I was missing. You have a chance now to be the mother you desire with Neal." For once, she didn't shudder over the name. "You can be Henry and Ally's grandmother, but as far as I'm concerned, you're not my mother and you never will be. I don't want you in my life anymore if you're going to continue like this."

"Emma," Charming pleaded.

"I'm sorry, David, but I can't." She then stood up and pulled Regina with her. She turned to Snow. "If you can show us that you're willing to be friends, I'll accept it, but I don't want anything more from you." She glanced back at David who looked completely devastated, presuming that if Emma didn't want a mother, then she wouldn't want a father. "I'm not saying this about you, David, but I don't need parents. I have enough."

And with that, she flicked her wrist and transported her and her wife to their living room. Once the smoke cleared, she fell into Regina's arms and broke down. Regina slowly led them to their sofa and sat down, wrapping her arms firmly around her wife. She rubbed her back and held her close as she murmured sweet nothings to her, trying to calm her down.

They didn't know how long they stayed there until Emma was all cried out. She pulled back slowly and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"Don't be silly," Regina replied quietly, pressing a soft kiss to Emma's forehead, still holding her close. "Snow should be sorry. I'm sorry I didn't raise her better."

Emma chuckled and gave her wife a watery smile. "That wasn't your responsibility. She only has herself to blame with all of this. I just don't get her. Surely, my being happy should be the most important thing for her, to know her _daughter_ was happy and loved, but it's not. In fact, it seems like that's the last thing on her list. None of it makes sense."

"I know, honey," Regina murmured. "She never has made sense."

After a few moments of silence, Emma's phone started to ring. Looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Zelena. With a sigh, she swiped her screen and connected the call.

"I heard your dinner with the Uncharmings went down the drain," Zelena said instead of greeting. "Come over, we have pizza." She left no room for discussion as she put down the phone.

With a chuckle, Emma turned to her wife. "Zee's invited us for dinner. She has pizza apparently."

"Do you want to go?" Regina asked.

Just as Emma went to reply, she found herself and her wife swept up in a cloud of green smoke. When it cleared, they were sitting at Zelena's table with Ally, Henry and Ruby already seated. Zelena walked from behind them with a smirk.

"You were taking too long," she said at their raised eyebrows. "The pizza was getting cold."

Emma glanced at the table and her tummy rumbled appreciatively at the sight. There were five pizzas: Hawaiian, Peperoni, four cheese, a meat feast and a vegetable pizza.

"Jesus, Zee!" Regina gasped. "Do you want a heart attack?"

The Witch chuckled as she sipped her lemonade. "Henry told us what happened and said there was no chance you'd say no so we ordered extra."

Emma smiled gratefully at her friend. "You're a superstar."

"Oh I know," the Witch smirked. "Now, tell us what happened and dig in!"

oOoOo

After what was probably too many slices of pizza between them all, they all retired to the living room. In between bites, Emma and Regina had filled Zelena, Ruby and Henry about what had happened. Alexandra was too interested in her small slices of Hawaiian pizza to really be paying attention to the conversation.

Ruby shook her head at what she heard. This version of Snow was not the woman who had been her best friend in the Enchanted Forest. Well she might have been, but she never showed her true colours to her. The wolf was very happy to say that Emma really was her best friend.

"Forget about her," Ruby murmured quietly to the blonde after the meal. "You have a whole other family that love and support you, no matter what."

Emma smiled gratefully and pulled the wolf into a strong hug. "I know."

Ruby grinned, happy that she'd managed to get the blonde to finally smile. "That's the smile I love to see. Now, shall we introduce that Witch of mine to a game of Trivial Pursuit that we both know she'll lose so I'll have to make it up to her later?" She waggled her eyebrows making Emma laugh loudly.

"That's just too much information," she replied, her voice still thick of laughter, "but sure. Though we all know Henry is going to win hands down."

The two entered the living room and Ruby suggested her game. As predicted, Zelena didn't have a clue what it was so Regina suggested that they teamed up to give her a small chance. It was a significant moment that the two sisters were choosing to bond and Emma and Ruby were thrilled to witness it. She also loved the game in general and was happy to be distracted by it and being surrounded by part of her extended, if not slightly dysfunctional, family.

However, the game came to an end and Emma's prediction was correct as Henry was crowned victorious.

Part way through the game, Emma had taken Ally to her old room to be put down as she'd was getting tired. Regina gently picked her up as to not wake her before the Swan-Mills' walked to the door.

"I can't thank you enough for this evening," Emma murmured as she hugged Zelena and Ruby goodbye. She turned to her wife and son too. "All of you. You turned what I thought was going to be a horrific evening into one of the best. You're all amazing."

"You know how you can make it up to us?" Ruby said with a sparkle in her eyes. "Let us throw you a party."

Emma rolled her eyes. "We'll see."

Ruby cheered. "That's not a no!" She chuckled. "Now go before you can change your mind."

This time, it was Regina who rolled her eyes before bidding her own goodbyes. She flicked her wrist and transported her family home. They all made their way upstairs with Henry hugging his mothers goodnight before heading into his room. Emma then followed Regina into Ally's room as she put her down for the night before the two of them made their way into their room.

Emma simply waved her hand over her body so that she was completely naked before sliding into the bed. Regina joined her after a trip to the bathroom to remove her makeup.

"What are we going to do about Mary Margaret?" Emma asked quietly as she cuddled into Regina's side.

"Absolutely nothing," Regina replied. "She's made her bed, now she can lie in it."

"So I wasn't too harsh?"

Regina sighed as she heard the vulnerability in her wife's voice. She untangled herself from their embrace so she could look at Emma properly. Leaning on her arm, she reached out and brushed a loose piece of hair away from the blonde's face and cupped her cheek.

"No, my love," Regina murmured. She pressed a soft kiss to Emma's cheeks and then forehead, chin and nose, making her giggle as it tickled. "Snow's had this coming for a long time. I tried to let bygones be bygones, but she just won't allow it. She's so wrapped up in her own world that she never will. I'm so sorry."

Emma's brow furrowed. "Why are you sorry?"

"It's all my fault. If I'd never cast the curse–"

Regina was cut off from what she was going to say by Emma's lips pressing softly against hers. "It had to happen for us to be together. Nothing will ever make me regret that. I love you, Regina, and my love for you and our life together with our children is more important than anything."

"I love you too," Regina mumbled between soft kisses. She then rearranged herself so that she was lying with one arm out, offering Emma to cuddle in. The blonde grinned as she settled into her wife's embrace. Regina brought her other arm up and gently rested it against Emma's growing bump. "I can't wait to meet them."

oOoOo

A couple of weeks passed by without any further ado. Robin continued to be an elusive figure in town. He didn't seek out any trouble, so to speak, but whenever he saw Regina in town, he would be all over her and if Emma, or now Henry, were in the way, he would start getting violent.

Before Emma could do anything to protect her son, Henry had already lashed out and kicked the thief between the legs, causing him to cry out and run away with his tail between his legs. Fortunately, Regina hadn't been there to disapprove, but Emma gave him a high five and also allowed him extra dessert as she was proud. She was just happy that Alexandra hadn't been there at the time too. If Robin was now staring to threaten Henry, surely it wouldn't be long before he started to target Alexandra. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. At least Zelena's spell had either faded now so he was no longer walking around naked, nor in pink. She didn't want the former to scar her brain.

Surprisingly, since their impromptu lunch and dinner, Ruby hadn't mentioned wanting to throw her friend and wife a party to celebrate their wedding. Regina was relieved, but Emma was even more alert. Ruby was up to something and she knew it.

However, she couldn't think too much upon it as it was time for her next scan and she was too excited about it. As she was now just over seventeen weeks, they should be able to find out the gender of their baby. Regina wasn't quite sure she trusted the technology as it hasn't been around when she was pregnant with Alexandra, but she couldn't help but find Emma's excitement utterly adorable.

As the two headed to the hospital one sunny morning, hand in hand, Emma couldn't keep her grin off her face. Even after they dropped their kids with Zelena.

"What do you think it's going to be?" Emma asked.

"I don't mind either way," Regina replied and Emma rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't my question," she chuckled. "I know we'll be happy either way, but what do you think?"

Regina paused and looked at her wife, tilting her head to the side, contemplating. "Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"I have absolutely no idea!"

At that, Emma burst out laughing and nudged her wife's shoulder. "Then let's go find out!"

The two made their way into the hospital and up to the correct floor. They were told to wait in the in the designated waiting room. Regina automatically picked up an old magazine and started flicking through the outdated pages. Emma was too agitated to concentrate on something, so she just sat and bounced her legs up and down. Usually, Regina would have told her to stop, but she allowed it knowing that there were many thoughts going through her head at that moment.

Before long, Dr Whale called them through and Emma settled herself onto the bed with Regina taking a seat beside her. Whale set up the screen and got everything ready before rolling up Emma's top after her permission, for once.

"This will be cold," he warned as he motioned to the gel in his hands.

Emma nodded and tensed ready for it. It really was cold. However, it was all worth it when the screen started to show the images of their baby. Regina couldn't stop the tears that sprung when she saw their child for the first time. She gripped onto Emma's hand tightly.

"This is amazing," she breathed in awe.

"If you think that's good, listen to this." Whale then flicked a switch and the baby's heartbeat echoed around the room.

"Is that…" Regina started to ask but was too emotional to finish.

"It's their heartbeat, yeah," Emma finished. She glanced away from the screen to share a smile with her wife.

Whale cleared his throat, breaking the moment. He moved the wand over Emma's belly slightly as he took the measurements before asking, "I can tell you the gender if you want to know?"

Simultaneously, the two nodded and Whale smiled at their synchronicity.

"We want to know," Emma said, holding onto Regina's hand.

Whale then held the wand still over Emma's belly and pointed to the screen, but Emma could see it already. She'd had scans with Henry and knew he was going to be a boy. As she looked at the screen, there was something very different from Henry's scan.

"It's a girl," Whale revealed, confirming Emma's thoughts.

She squealed in delight. "I mean, I'd be ecstatic either way, but another little girl! I'm so excited."

Whale paused the footage and gave Emma some tissue to wipe up the gel on her tummy before he left the room.

Emma turned to her wife. "Does this mean we can start discussing names?"

Regina chuckled. She leant forward and kissed her wife softly. "We can do whatever you like, my love."

"Like Granny's for lunch?" Emma suggested, her voice filled with hope.

"Of course, my love," Regina agreed before she leant in and kissed her wife once more. Her tongue had barely grazed against the blonde's before Whale returned. She wanted to be angry with him, but then he held up an envelope.

"I brought pictures of the scan," he revealed. "I'll see you soon for your next scan."

"Thanks, Whale," Emma said as she hopped off the bed. She took hold of Regina hands and the two headed out of the hospital.

As it was now the beginning of June, the two decided to walk to Granny's and enjoy the summer air. They were looking forward to Henry finishing school for the summer so they could enjoy some family time. They were thinking of actually looking into going outside of Storybrooke as they were the few who could go and not be affected by the town line.

It didn't take them long before they walked through the archway to Granny's outside seating area but before Regina could lead them in, Emma pulled on her hand and sealed their lips together.

"I love you," she murmured as she broke away.

Regina's eyes glazed over in sheer contentment. "I love you too." She then went to seal their lips together once more, but Emma's tummy rumbled. She pulled back, chuckling. "It seems our daughter is hungry."

Emma beamed and rested her spare hand on her tummy. "So she is."

With a final sweet kiss, the two broke apart, still beaming at each other, completely excited about seeing their daughter for the first time together and even finding out that they were having a little girl.

The two headed inside, expecting the diner to be as busy as normal but it was the complete opposite. There was banner hung across the room saying, "congratulations Emma and Regina!" Everyone in the room turned to see the new arrivals and all called, "congratulations!"

Emma and Regina stood stock still at the door as Ruby, Zelena and Henry walked forward, Alexandra was on Zelena's hip.

"What is going on?" Regina gasped as she reached out to stroke Ally's hair, the tot clearly content to stay with her auntie.

"Surprise!" Ruby grinned. "I told you we were going to host a party and here it is." She motioned around the room.

Sure, there weren't that many people, but the ones who were there, were the ones who meant the most to them.

There was a table with Hook, Lina, Esmeralda and her family, and Laverne. It was the first time that Emma had seen Phoebus, now Kevin, and their son, Joel. If the occasion had been different, she'd have gone straight over and introduced herself, but at that moment, there was something else at hand.

Belle and Rumple were also sitting on another table with Mulan and Maleficent in another corner. Though as she realised the guests of honour had arrived, the dragon made her way over to the group by the door who had slowly moved their way over towards the centre of the room.

"I can't believe you did this," Emma said with a shake of her head.

Ruby just smiled, proud of herself. "I said I was going to throw a party and we knew you'd end up here after your scan because you can't go more than a day without Granny's." She raised her eyebrow, daring Emma to deny her statement. She couldn't.

"Fine," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "But I need food. My daughter is hungry."

She threw the penny in the air and waited for someone to catch it. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.

"Daughter?" Henry repeated before his grin broadened. "You're having a girl?"

"Yep," Emma confirmed, resting her hand on her tummy, "and this little girl needs to be fed."

With the good news being shared, they didn't hear the bell signal the new arrival. As Ruby hadn't known when exactly Emma and Regina were going to arrive, she had to keep the door unlocked, which also meant it was still unlocked for new visitors.

They were also completely unaware as the new visitor snuck up the group until it was far too late. He was already behind Regina with a spinning needle in his hand.

"Robin!" Ruby cried making the group turn but Robin had already done his deed.

He reached out and pricked Regina in her neck and within seconds, Emma had to catch her wife as she felt to the floor, out cold.


	65. Chapter 65

"Mommy!" Ally cried when she realised her mother had fallen. At the sound of the tot's cry, Killian rushed over, his ears attuned to whenever Alexandra was in distress.

"What happened?" He asked as she saw Emma kneeling on the ground with what looked like a sleeping Regina.

"Sleeping curse," Zelena muttered to the pirate. "Take Ally for me and go to the third floor where Ruby's suite is. We'll let you know when she can come back."

Killian nodded and Ally willing let herself be swapped from her Auntie's arms to her God Father's. She was crying quietly into his shoulder, but Hook whispered quietly to her to cheer her up as he made his way out of the diner.

Once they'd gone, Zelena turned on the thief, her eyes narrowed in sheer distaste. "How did you get it?"

"I snuck into the dragon's keep and took one of her sleeping potions," Robin sneered with mirth, clearly content with the reaction to his plan. "She has so many of them just lying about so I took one and used it on my love, showing I was willing to sacrifice her to prove our love. She's mine, my True Love. Only I can wake her up!"

"Oh please," Emma sighed and look up from the ground. At that moment, she was torn between yelling at Maleficent for not being more careful with her potions and wanting to lash out at the thief for hurting her wife.

The others in the diner had now realised what was going on and were at a loss as to what to do. Mulan came over to Maleficent and wrapped her arm around her supportively, as she'd heard how the thief had gotten the potion. She wanted to be there for the dragon. Esmeralda and her family were staying in the corner, knowing Emma wouldn't want them to get involved. However, Rumple and Belle made their way over.

"I can curse him again, if you like?" Rumple sneered to the thief. He flicked his wrist and produced a black fireball, clearly laced with some form of poison. "No one touches my family and gets away with it."

Emma didn't have time to register her heart soaring at the Dark One's words about her wife. She was too angry.

"How am I the bad guy?" Robin cried. "All I want is my True Love and to be happy."

At first, it seemed like Emma wasn't listening to the thief. She simply waved her hand so that a small bed appeared under her wife along with a pillow to rest her head on so that she would be comfortable, even in her sleep. She brushed her fingers along Regina's cheek softly before she stood up and faced the thief. Her eyes were glazed over in fury that no one in the room had ever seen before.

"You _are_ the bad guy," she said, calmly but her voice full of venom. "If you truly loved her, you would want her to be happy. You are cursed. You don't belong with her, _I_ do."

"You're just a good for nothing girlfriend stealing harlot!" Robin hissed with a humourless laugh. "You're clearly cursing her to be with you!"

"Kiss her then," Emma snapped, done with the charade. "Prove it to me, to all of us, and kiss her."

Robin grinned. "If you so insist," he said, smarmily. He lowered himself down so that he was kneeling beside the Mayor. Reaching out, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

As Emma looked on, she could see that his eyes were full of love as he looked at her wife. He was gentle in his movements. At that moment, she wasn't sure if it was the curse or just the fact that he really was in love with her. It made her stomach tighten.

Slowly, Robin leant forward and whispered, "I love you," before he pressed his lips against Regina's for a count of three before pulling back. He hesitated, waiting for something to happen but as Emma expected, there was nothing. Regina didn't move.

"WHAT!" Robin cried as he pushed back from the bed. "Why didn't it work?!"

"Because you're not her True Love," Emma sighed. "It's all a curse."

"But I love her," he sobbed, tears springing to his eyes. "I love her and my son adores her. How can she wake up if I'm not her True Love?"

Emma didn't answer him, she simply knelt back down beside her wife. She thumbed her lips softly, as if trying to get the thief's touch off of her, before she closed the gap. Their lips had barely touched when a bright light ricocheted around the room and illuminated them.

Regina's eyes snapped open as she inhaled deeply. "Emma!" She gasped and the blonde couldn't help the small smile when she was clearly the first thing her wife thought about. Emma leant back in and kissed her wife softly once more. "What happened?" She asked.

Emma was about to reply, but her words slipped off her tongue when she took in Zelena. Despite the fact that her sister had just been woken from a sleeping curse, Zelena wasn't looking at her. Instead, she was looking at Robin and it didn't take long for Emma to figure out why. The illumination from the two had shifted from them and was now wrapped around the thief making him glow and shake uncontrollably.

"What's happening to him?" Zelena asked, glancing at Rumple who she thought would have the answer.

However, it was Belle who replied. "Any curse can be broken with True Love's Kiss."

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."

Belle looked at Rumple, silently asking him something, and a second later, he flicked his wrist and an old tattered book appeared in Belle's hand.

"I found this yesterday," she murmured as she opened the book. "I was going to tell you about it today." She found the right page. "It's an old book, written in a language barely anyone knows, but it has a section designated to Pixie Dust and the curse of it." She swallowed before she read out the passage.

" _The curse of Pixie Dust is one not to be taken lightly. It is poison to the unintentional. Should the Dust be used without authorisation, the consequences are dire. However, as with all curses, there is one failsafe antidote: True Love's Kiss. Whether this is the poisoned heart's True Love, or the one for whom the Pixie Duse was wielded, it matters not."_

Belle looked up and saw the faces of the others staring back at her. "So it clearly states that Regina's True Love Kiss would break the curse. I'm guessing it just had to be in front of Robin for it to work."

As she mentioned the thief, they all turned back on him as he flew his arms to the side and his head back. Black gas flew from his body as he opened his mouth with a silent scream and all the others could do was watch.

The black seemed to gush out of him for an age, clouding the room in a dark fog. Emma went to flick her wrist to light a fireball, but Rumple caught it before she could.

"Don't," he whispered, an air of authority surrounded his words.

Usually, Emma would have deliberately gone against him, but there was something in his voice that stopped her.

A few moments later, the black fog gained momentum and flew out of the windows, smashing the glass as it went. Fortunately, there was no one sitting by the windows as the glass shattered into the room. The group ducked to avoid the flying shards.

Once the room stopped moving, Emma pulled Regina close to her as she turned to look at Robin, his eyes, no longer glazed over with the curse, but now blazed in anger.

"YOU!" He shouted, his forefinger pointing accusingly to whom he was angry with but to Emma's surprise, it was no longer her. It was Regina. "You cursed me to fall in love with you and then left me with the burden of it when you didn't want your play toy anymore." He laughed humourlessly. "I get it. Once the Evil Queen, always the Evil Queen. I bet this is just revenge for my injuring your father."

At the venom in his voice, Regina couldn't help the tears that started to flow. "I didn't," she whispered. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't plan any of this. I didn't ask for Tinkerbell to try and find my Soulmate."

Robin scoffed. "Please, you revel in this, making those less fortunate do your bidding. Like I said, the _Evil_ Queen."

"She isn't the Evil Queen," Henry seethed, stepping in front of his mothers, a protective stance. Mal, Ruby and Zelena followed suite, along with, surprising, Rumple. "She's anything but."

"She's hoodwinked you too," Robin spat. He angrily forced the bed aside, towering over Henry. Emma went to defend her son, but Rumple got there first.

"Don't even think about touching him!" He hissed. With a wave of his arms, Robin was forced back against the door to the diner and crashed to the ground. The Dark Once stalked towards his prey with a snarl on his lips. "You are not welcome in Storybrooke any longer. You're to gather your belongings and your son and meet us at the town line in an hour. If you are not there," he flicked his wrist and produced the black fireball once more, "the curse you just escaped will feel like a dream compared to what I have in store."

The thief physically gulped in fear and ran out of the diner.

Once the door shut behind him, Regina slumped into Emma. "I can't believe it," she murmured.

Emma wrapped her arms around her wife and cuddled her close.

"This was so not how your celebratory party was meant to go," Ruby murmured with a frown, allowing Zelena to wrap her arm around her.

"It's okay, Wolfie," Zelena assured her, using her affectionate nickname for her love. "At least it'll be rememberable."

The group chuckled at the Witch's attempt at a joke, but Emma wasn't having it. Now the situation with Robin had ceased, for now, she could instead concentrate on the other half of her previous dilemma. Maleficent.

Gently, so that Regina didn't fall, Emma released her wife and turned to her friend, her eyes dark with anger.

"How could you, Maleficent?" She cried incredulously. "You can't just leave dangerous potions lying around!"

The dragon blushed profusely. "I am so sorry," she replied, her lip wavering in guilt. "I didn't know he'd break into my apartment and get it."

"He's a _thief_!" Emma reminded her. "You called him a sneaky thief not two days ago! How couldn't you not notice one had gone missing?"

"Emma–"

Despite Regina's attempts to intervene, Emma wasn't having it. She was in the swing of her anger and the Mayor knew it would take more to calm the blonde down, but she also knew that Emma needed to get whatever was on her chest out before she could even start to calm her.

"You couldn't have brought them with you either," Emma continued, "so why do you need a, apparently large, stock of Sleeping Potions here in Storybrooke? Who were you planning as your next victim? Me? Because I got Regina? Mulan? Because she happened to know Aurora?" She then laughed humourlessly. "Or maybe even Aurora herself because she still won't accept that you're her mother?" She shut her eyes as she shook her head, completely missing the hurt look on Mal's face and the surprised expressions on the other's faces as they didn't know the truth either. Emma opened her eyes and focussed the green on the bright blue. "Go on, Maleficent, what have you got to say for yourself?"

Everyone turned to look at the dragon whose face was now completely expressionless as she didn't want Emma to see just how much she had hurt her. Mulan was gently caressing Mal's back, showing the dragon that she was still there and had someone on her side.

In all honesty, Maleficent didn't have an answer. She knew she was obsessed with the Sleeping Potion, but she couldn't admit that. She didn't want to appear weak.

Instead, she ignored Emma's questions and turned to Regina. "I am so sorry," she said and then took hold of Mulan's hand and transported them out the room in her signature black smoke.

Once Maleficent had disappeared, Emma slumped to the ground and pulled her knees up as far as she could with her pregnant belly and burst into tears, rocking gently backwards and forwards in despair.

Regina turned to her sister. "We'll meet you by the town line but for now, I need to get her home," she instructed. She turned to Ruby. "Please can you or Killian keep Alexandra for now? I don't want her to see any of this."

Ruby nodded. "Of course." She turned to Henry. "Do you want to say with us, Kid?"

Henry glanced at his mother who looked at him with a soft smile, allowing him to make the decision.

"I'll stay for now and you can come get me later," he said, not wanting to be in the way. He also knew that his mothers needed this private moment.

Regina nodded and ruffled his hair affectionately before she flicked her wrist, transporting both her and Emma home and straight to their bedroom. She dropped Emma into the bed and sat beside her.

Immediately, Emma crawled forward and wrapped her arms around her wife, clinging to her for dear life as she sobbed. All Regina could do was stroke her back and tell her it was okay and that she loved her until she calmed down.

It took a fair few minutes, but the blonde's tears did start to slow. Regina reached up and thumbed them away and Emma leant into her touch.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered as she caught Regina's hand and kissed her knuckles. "I shouldn't have snapped at Mal like that, but she could have been the reason you were hurt. I can't lose you."

Regina cupped Emma's face and brought it forward for a soft kiss. "I'm not going anywhere," she assured her. "It was just a sleeping curse. I was barely under for ten minutes. I'm okay. _You_ saved me."

"I'll always save you," Emma mumbled making Regina chuckle softly, a sound Emma loved to hear. "But why has she got a stash of Sleeping Potions? Surely she doesn't need them."

Regina continued to stroke Emma's cheek softly. "Sometimes you can't teach an old dog new tricks," she murmured softly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind Emma's ear. "She's so used to making them and trying different recipes that she can't stop. It's an addiction she has that she's trying to break. She used to make dozens a week, now it's only one." She sighed. "I agree though, she should keep them in a safer place but then again, Robin was adamant to find them and he did his homework on her."

The two were silent after the Mayor mentioned the thief. Neither had expected him to turn on her once the curse was out of his body. Emma thought he would stay the same as before, but clearly not. However, she chose not to mention that yet.

"I'm surprised at Rumple's reaction," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "He keeps giving me whiplash about how he feels about you."

Regina chuckled again. "He's a complex one, I'll say that."

"He called us, well you, his family while you were asleep," Emma revealed. Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Emma nodded. "Yeah, I was surprised too."

"Definitely complex then," Regina repeated before she sighed. "Look, today has gone from being very happy to very dramatic. Let's just get rid of him and then we can get back on track with our children," she reached out and gently caressed Emma's bump, "and daughter to be. We can make amends with Mal too. We'll take it one step at a time."

"With you by my side, I can conquer anything," Emma murmured before capturing Regina's lips in a soft kiss. Yes, it was cheesy, but it was true. Regina was her strength as well as her love. "How long do we have before we need to go to the town line?"

Regina glanced at her watch. "Around half an hour."

"Wake me up," Emma requested sleepily as she leant back on the bed. She was out before Regina could confirm.

As the blonde slept, Regina thought back over everything that had happened in the last few hours. They found out that they were having another daughter, which excited her to no end. However, she was being completely honest when she'd said to Emma that it really didn't matter to her. She'd brought up both a little boy, who was now growing into a handsome, polite young man and a perfect little girl who was energetic and sassy as could be. Another little girl was just the icing on the cake.

The surprise party was also more welcomed than she thought it was going to be. It was like Maleficent had said, she had more family now that she'd ever thought she'd have. They weren't related to her but through their love for Emma, they'd grown to love her. She now got on ridiculously well with her sister to the point where they alternated who hosted dinner on a Wednesday evening. Through Zelena and Ruby's relationship, she was also becoming good friends in the wolf which she never expected but loved.

What was more, she and Maleficent were still very close and now she was getting to know Mulan a little bit better. Emma had managed to persuade Regina to allow another deputy at the Sheriff's station, especially now she didn't want Emma working long hours with the pregnancy taking its toll on her. It was no surprise that Emma accepted Mulan in the team without much of an interview. She simply asked her if she was going to treat Maleficent well despite the burden Aurora brought on them and the warrior had simply promised she'd never hurt her intentionally and she'd gotten the job.

It was that that was the issue at the moment. Regina could cope with Robin. She had seen his true colours and was completely okay with sending him over the town line. She mainly worried about Roland fitting into everyday life, but she knew he was a strong little boy who could handle everything. Robin could struggle for all she cared at that current moment.

No, it was the friendship between Emma and Maleficent that worried her at the moment. Emma was clearly very angry with their friend and had lashed out with some pretty horrible accusations. Maleficent was also very stubborn, just like Emma, and didn't take apologies lightly, especially when she was partially in the wrong too. Regina just hoped that the two would be able to get back to normal.

With a sigh, she looked at her watch and saw that twenty minutes had already past. She needed to wake Emma up and take them to the town line. Repeating Emma's actions from earlier, but for a completely different reason, she leant down and kissed her wife softly and smiled into the kiss when she felt Emma reciprocate.

"Wakey, wakey, my love," she murmured quietly as Emma began to stir. "We need to get going."

Emma frowned sleepily and grumbled but she reluctantly sat up. "I can't want to nap again already."

Regina chuckled and kissed her once more. "We can have an early night," she promised. She stood up and held her hand out for Emma to take. "Ready?"

The blonde took her wife's outstretched hand and nodded before the Mayor flicked her wrist, transporting them across town in her signature purple.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed Rumple and Zelena stood talking. No one else was in sight.

"Ah there you are," Zelena greeted. "Ruby is with Ally and Henry. Al Pal wouldn't let her go to join us and she didn't want to upset her," she added at Emma's raised eyebrow. She knew that Ruby wouldn't want to miss this if she could help it.

Instead of replying, Emma just nodded and Regina squeezed her hand in silent support.

"He's late," Rumple grunted as he checked his watch. Belle had requested not to join as she had bad memories being at the town line when Killian had shot her. The two had made their peace now but she still didn't want to be reminded.

"He still has two minutes," Regina muttered quietly, clearly very nervous. This time it was Emma's turn to squeeze her wife's hand.

Those final two minutes of waiting were agonisingly painful but eventually, the small group saw Robin walking towards them with Roland walking beside him. Regina's breath caught in her throat as she realised that saying goodbye to Robin also meant saying goodbye to Roland. She had come to care about him like he was her own son.

"Gina!" Roland cried as he saw her, running to her, arms thrown wide.

"Hi Roland!" She greeted back and knelt down to accept the hug. There were already tears in her eyes.

Robin didn't look in Regina's direction when he joined them, looking straight at the Dark One.

"So is my punishment just banishment without a clue how to survive on the outside world?" He asked.

"No," Rumple replied. He gave the thief a backpack. "There is a map, a phone and some money in here. I'm the Dark One but I'm not heartless. There is a flat in New York that is empty. That is your home now." He swallowed as he thought about his son to whom the flat used to belong. "It's time to go. Say goodbye."

Robin finally turned to Regina and saw his son in her arms and his eyes narrowed. He walked towards them and pulled Roland away from Regina.

"We have to go, Roland," he murmured.

He ignored the brunette beside him and started to make his way over the town line. However, as he took one step over, Regina rushed forward. "Wait!"


	66. Chapter 66

Robin paused and went no further. As he hadn't fully crossed the line, he turned and stepped back over.

"What now!" He cried. "Can't I just get banished in peace?" Regina opened her mouth to reply but Robin wasn't finished. "You forced me out of my first home and now out of my second. I lost my wife, my True Love and then was forced to be with _you_."

Emma rushed forward and stepped between her wife and the thief, shoving him back so that he was teetering on the town line boundary.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that!" She hissed.

"Emma," Regina murmured.

"No!" Emma despaired. "You don't deserve to be spoken to like that! You're not the Evil Queen anymore. You never were."

Robin scoffed. "You can't change the amount of evil she is. It wouldn't surprise me if you were at fault for Marian's death too! Just let me and my son be!" He backed up his statement by spitting at Regina's feet and Emma saw red.

Without thinking, she swung her arm back before throwing the strongest punch she could muster. The blow was so powerful, Robin was forced over the town line and collapsed on the floor.

"Mother fucker!" Emma screamed, shaking the pain out of her hand, ignoring Zelena's cheer and Rumple's hum of approval.

"Papa!" Roland called as we went to step over the boundary after his father.

"Roland, wait," Regina called as she pulled the boy towards her. She knelt down in front of him and ran her fingers through his hair. "I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Roland glanced towards his father and then back at the woman he'd started to see as his new mother before he nodded.

Regina smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry all of this had to happen, but I want to give you a parting gift," she murmured as she took his hand in hers. "I'm giving you new memories. You'll forget all about scary monsters that other children won't understand and what it's like to live in a forest, but you won't forget about all the adventures you've been on. You'll also be able to figure out your new life easily and fit in with other children." She pulled her fingers back and cupped Roland's cheek before she kissed his temple. "I wish you the best of luck, Roland. I love you." She pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Gina, I don't understand," Roland muttered quietly. "Why aren't you coming with us? Papa loves you. _I_ love you!"

Regina wiped the tears away that were now falling thick and fast. "I can't," she replied sadly. "Your father and I aren't together anymore."

As she said that, Robin started to groan and stand up. His face went from furious to confused. "Roland!" He yelled, looking around frantically.

"It's time to go, dear," Regina said softly to the boy.

Roland nodded and hugged Regina once more before he stepped over the town line. Robin wasted no time in picking up his son and walked away and not looking back. The little boy turned in his father's arms and waved but Robin continued to walk until they were no longer in view.

"Well now that's done, I'll be off," Rumple said, breaking the silence. "Nice right hook," he added to Emma before he nodded to the sisters and disappeared.

At the mention of that, Regina walked forward and took Emma's hand gently in hers. It was already bruising.

"I don't approve of this," she murmured, "but thank you for coming to my aid." She then waved her hand over her wife's hand and gently healed it.

"I always will," Emma replied. She smiled gratefully as she felt her hand heal. She wriggled her fingers. "I'm just glad he's gone."

Regina smiled sadly. She looked up to where the two Hoods had disappeared.

"Roland will miss you too," Zelena said softly as she walked over, predicting what Regina was thinking. "But it's all done now. You're both free."

The Mayor sighed and tried to shrug it off. The other two saw through her but ignored it. "Yeah that's true."

"I'll keep the kids for the rest of today," Zelena offered, changing the subject. "I'll tell Henry what happened and make sure he's not up too late playing video games with Ruby."

Regina chuckled. She'd heard many a story from Henry about the duelling games he'd played with the wolf. When she'd asked how long they'd played for, the teenager strangely went mute. "You're a star."

Zelena flicked her hair over her should sassily. "Obviously," she joked and finally Emma smiled. "Now you two go enjoy the rest of the day together. Get pizza, have a bath, chill. I'll drop them off before lunch tomorrow."

Before they could say anything further, Zelena flicked her wrist and the two were transported home in her green smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Emma pulled her wife with her until they were in their room. Regina raised her eyebrow, curious as to what Emma's intentions were. As much as she loved her wife and enjoyed making love to her, with how high her emotions were running, she wasn't particularly in the mood.

Emma simply shook her head and flicked her wrist to remove her clothes while Regina watched on confused. She then slipped into bed and held an arm out, a silent invitation, and Regina finally understood what was going on.

With a smile, she flicked her wrist until she was naked too before she joined her wife in bed. "What happened to just having an early night?" She asked quietly as Emma pulled her close. "Or talking to Mal?"

"Nap now and Mal later," Emma murmured sleepily and before Regina could ask any further questions, the blonde was already asleep again.

oOoOo

A couple of hours later, Regina's brown eyes fluttered opened to meet Emma's dazzling green.

"Hey," Emma murmured softly.

"Hi," Regina replied, her voice thick with sleep. "I didn't mean to fall asleep too."

Emma chuckled quietly. "It's been an exhausting day already, it's not surprising."

Regina shuffled to sit up in the bed. The duvet dropped to her waist and Emma's eyes flickered down automatically and she sighed. Regina's breasts were still perfection.

"See something you like, Mrs Swan-Mills?" Regina teased as she realised what had caught her wife's attention.

"Always," Emma murmured before capturing her wife's lips in a soft kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina muttered against Emma's lips.

They two lost themselves in their kisses and light caresses, enjoying the moment. However, it was then interrupted by Emma's belly gurgling.

Regina pulled back chuckling. "And that's our cue to feed you."

Emma smiled sheepishly. "Well we never actually got around to eating earlier with the whole you getting put under a sleeping curse and kicking Robin out of town." She raised her eyebrow, expecting Regina to comment on it. She didn't. Instead Regina just shrugged and slipped out of bed.

"Let's go get some food," she simply said. She flicked her wrist and her gown flew from behind the door and settled over her body. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Emma stared at where her wife had been stood a few moments ago in confusion. She thought Regina would have understood her comment was a joke, but it clearly hit a nerve. With a sigh, she followed her wife's actions. She slipped out of bed and put on her dressing gown before she made her way downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, she saw Regina standing by the stove, stirring a pan. She didn't turn to face her wife, confirming that she was annoyed at her.

Slowly, Emma stepped forward until she was stood behind Regina and lightly slipped her hands around her sides and pulled herself forward, as close as she could with her bump in the way. She nuzzled into her neck and kissed her shoulder before pulling back, not wanting to push her luck or make it seem like she was trying to make up with her with gestures. That never worked with the Mayor.

"I'm sorry for my comment," Emma said as she moved to stand beside the stove, resting her back on the counter. "It was far too soon and I'm sorry."

Regina paused her stirring and looked up at her wife with a soft smile. She turned the fire down before taking a step back and took the two steps towards Emma, placing her hands gently on her hips.

"I'm happy he's gone," she murmured quietly, looking down at her thumbs playing with the beltloops on Emma's dressing gown. "But I will miss Roland. He really was like a son with me."

"Hey," Emma said softly as she pulled Regina's chin up to so she could meet her eye. "Roland loves you too, you heard him. He'll always be here," she moved her hand and pressed it against Regina's chest, "because you love him. Maybe he'll come back someday. After all, he isn't the one who's been banished." At her words, Regina's eyes shifted to the side and Emma raised her eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Regina blushed at being caught. "When I was giving Roland new memories, I slipped in another parting gift," she revealed slowly before swallowing. "He'll be able to get back into Storybrooke if he wants to, but Robin won't."

"So that's why he waved!" Emma gasped as it clicked. "He could still see us when Robin couldn't."

Guiltily, Regina nodded. "I couldn't bear the idea that I might never see him again. He didn't deserve it like his father does." She then released her wife and returned to the stove before she ladled what looked like chicken soup, that Emma knew was only a small portion of the stash Regina had in the freezer for whenever Henry was feeling ill, into two bowls.

Emma followed when Regina took the bowls over to the breakfast bar at the other side of the room. There was no point taking the food to the dining room when there was only the two of them there.

Realising that she probably should elongate the conversation about Roland and Robin, Emma simply dug into her soup and complimented her wife on the taste as usual. She dipped her bread in and ate in seconds flat, she really was hungry.

Regina couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Would you like some more, sweetheart?"

Emma nodded sheepishly but Regina just smiled. She stood up and took both their bowls back to the stove and refilled with another ladle of soup and another slice of bread each. It was then that Emma realised just how hungry her wife must have been too as she rarely went back for seconds.

Once their bowls were empty for a second time, Emma sat back in her chair and sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"What am I meant to do about Maleficent?" She asked quietly. "Should we go over now while it's fresh or let her simmer down a bit?"

For a moment, Regina paused, thinking about how to proceed. Maleficent was vicious when she was angry and she knew Emma was overly emotional with the pregnancy and with the heavy day, she was even worse.

"I think we should head over tomorrow," Regina decided eventually. "I'll text Zelena to keep Henry and Ally until mid-afternoon and we'll go to Mal's in the morning, let her sleep on it."

Emma nodded. "What shall we do with our day instead then with a kid free house?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively making Regina chuckle.

However, despite Emma's not so subtle suggestion, they actually didn't end up in bed for a while. Instead, they cleared up the kitchen and retired to the living room where they decided to binge watch the _Bridget Jones_ films with Regina scoffing at everything Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver did to gain Bridget's affection. Emma found that she'd never enjoyed the film more than watching Regina's clear distaste to it. They munched on snacks throughout the film instead of having dinner.

After that, they headed upstairs and shared a relaxing bubble bath together with Emma wrapped in Regina's embrace and the brunette's hands gently caressing her tummy, before they retired to bed.

Only then did they make love well into the night, forgetting everything that had happened during the day and just concentrated on the other and their love for each other.

oOoOo

When they awoke the next morning, Regina decided to make Emma breakfast in bed, serving a cheese omelette and a decaf filter coffee which Emma lapped up happily while the Mayor read the paper. However, after they'd got dressed and ready for the day, Emma knew she couldn't put it off any longer. The guilt was weighing her down. She needed to apologise to Maleficent.

So when they were ready, she took hold of Regina's hand and transported them across town outside the dragon's home.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked quietly.

Emma nodded and swallowed thickly before she nervously reached out and knocked on the door. It was time.

She had barely moved her hand away from the door when it swung open. The blonde dragon at the other side in her gown.

"Oh, it's you," she said instead of a greeting.

"Hi," Emma murmured quietly. "Can we come in? I'd like to talk."

Maleficent hesitated, completely unsure whether she was going to let the two in. If it was just Regina, she'd have opened the door wide immediately, it was Emma she was hesitant about. She really had been hurt by Emma's words, but she knew that facing it sooner would be better than later. It was then with a heavy sigh that the dragon stepped aside and let the two in.

The two entered and saw that Mulan was sitting in the living room, wearing a long silk shirt and her hair was slightly ruffled. On any other occasion, Emma wouldn't have hesitated to poke fun at her friends but the atmosphere in the air was far too tense to try.

Mal pointed to the sofas, indicating they should all sit. Once they'd sat down, the dragon waved her hand and produced a tray of tea.

"I'll leave you all to it," Mulan murmured as she started to stand.

"No, stay," Emma requested. "I'm here to apologise for everything I said yesterday, and part of it you need to hear."

Hearing that, Mulan returned to her seat and took hold of Maleficent's hand. The dragon, however, continued to say nothing, she just sat back and waited.

Emma swallowed nervously and felt Regina squeeze her thigh encouragingly. With a sigh, Emma place her teacup down. She shuffled in her seat before she looked the dragon in the eye.

"I'm sorry," she began and the dragon simply scoffed. "No, I really am. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did. I was just overloaded with emotions and took it out on you." She took a deep breath. "Of course I knew you wouldn't use the Sleeping Potions on anyone, especially not Mulan, I can see how you feel about her." Unconsciously, the two glanced to each other and smiled warmly, the warrior blushed at how powerful Maleficent's warm gaze was. Emma couldn't help the smile as she saw how happy her friends were. However, she couldn't get distracted so she continued, "and I definitely shouldn't have blabbed about Aurora, it wasn't my place."

"No, it wasn't," Mal said, finally speaking. "It really hurt, Emma, I'm not going to lie. You're supposed to be my friend, one of my best friends, and you know how I feel about everything with Aurora. There's a reason I don't go around telling people about it. I don't want people to know, but…" Mal shifted and glanced again at Mulan who nodded encouragingly.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, sensing there was more to the looks that met the eye.

"Talking about Aurora," Mal began quietly, "she's agreed to meet me and talk about it all. She was reluctant, but after Moo told her we were dating, she realised that I wasn't as bad as I seemed."

"She knows I'm a good judge in character," Mulan murmured with a shrug. "So she's giving her mother a chance to be in her life. Not as her mother, but as an acquaintance for now."

Regina smiled and reached out to squeeze Mal's knee, ignoring the dragon's nickname for her partner. "I'm happy for you. I really am."

"Me too," Emma added nervously. She sighed. "Look, I am really sorry about what I said. I hope you can forgive me."

Mal was quiet as she took in her friend, leaving her to sweat for a few more moments.

"I forgive you," she said and Emma let out a breath of relief. "And you were right, I shouldn't be making the potions anymore. I just enjoy the way the ingredients go together to create something so perfect."

"Then take up baking," Emma suggested with a laugh. "It's a much less lethal way to watch ingredients blend." She just glanced at her wife and smirked. "Just don't lace the bakes goods with the potion like _someone_ did."

"What?" Mal gasped, clearly unfamiliar with the tale. Her eyes flickered between her two friends. Emma was still smirking and Regina was blushing profusely.

"Mally, remember I told you that Regina didn't like me when we first me?" Emma reminded her and Mal nodded. "Well…"

That was then all it took. Emma jumped into the tale of her first few months in Storybrooke, telling the dragon and the warrior everything. Naturally, Regina jumped in with her side of the story every now and then, but it relaxed the atmosphere.

After a while, Mal replaced their tea with a fresh batch, still wrapped up in Emma and Regina's story. She'd heard bits of it in the past, but she'd never heard the full story, especially the part when Regina had actually been so desperate to keep her son to herself that she'd tried to kill the blonde.

"I can't believe you're True Loves after all of that," Mulan gasped, shaking her head in disbelief.

Emma shrugged but looked at Regina and got lost in her eyes as she sometimes did when she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have her as her wife.

"We always had a connection," Emma murmured, not looking away. "We just misread it at first."

"But we figured it out eventually," Regina replied as she cupped her wife's cheek. "It just took some time travel and Fairy Dust, but we made it."

Mulan turned to Maleficent and smiled. "At least our story was a lot more simple, though I still feel bad going to Granny's." The warrior blushed when Emma and Regina started to laugh as they remembered the story.

As requested, Maleficent had taken Granny aside and told her that she was flattered that she had feelings for her but that she wasn't interested. Granny had gotten a little upset and embarrassed but Mal told her that it was her not being right for Granny, not the other way around, which seemed to calm her down.

A few days later, Emma had conceived Esmeralda to take Laverne to Granny's. They tended to avoid the diner due the competition between their baking, but they walked in to see Granny and Ruby having one of their typical debates and Laverne jumped in and said she had had plenty of the same discussions with Lina and Esmeralda and with that, the two matriarchs hit it off.

However, Granny still couldn't help but glance in Mal's direction whenever she walked which made Mulan feel uncomfortable as it was very obvious that she was now dating the dragon. Fortunately, Granny hadn't made a big deal out of it.

Mal glanced her to her girlfriend and saw she was a little embarrassed, so she decided to change the subject.

"So you're blessing us with another little girl?" She asked, remembering what Emma had said before the fiasco began.

Emma nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah, we're excited."

"Well I have a perfect name suggestion," Mal continued, as if Emma hasn't spoken. "Mallory! It's like me but not."

"Umm?" Emma glanced at Regina who also looked like she was struggling to say something kind towards the name. Not that it was a bad name, it was just not what they were expecting.

However, before they could say anything, Mal burst out laughing. "I'm kidding!" She chuckled and Mulan joined in. "You should have seen your faces though." Emma rolled her eyes and sent a zap to her friend but Mal just laughed it off before becoming serious. "How did it go with Robin?"

Emma and Regina glanced at each other before the blonde said what happened. Throughout the story Mal kept quiet but she couldn't help the cheer when Emma revealed the punch. Even Mulan smiled.

"He wasn't that nice to me when I was with the Merry Men," she murmured. "He's very sexist. I was always the one who had to cook for them and clean the camp."

Emma frowned. "Then I'm even happier that he's gone."

"And never to come back," Mal added. She raised her tea cup. "To the future and your baby!" She toasted and the others followed suit.

Before long, it was time for Emma and Regina to pick up Henry and Ally. They stood up and started making their way to the door, Mal followed them and didn't hesitate in pulling Regina into a hug.

"You can move your potions into my vault," Regina murmured as she pulled back, "that way no one can take them again."

Mal nodded solemnly. "I'm so sorry that it was my potion that knocked you out."

Regina waved her off. "I'm completely fine."

Emma then hugged the dragon tightly. "And try baking," she joked. "Much more delicious."

Mal simply rolled her eyes and chuckled when Emma's belly rumbled. "Now go feed my God Daughter before I bake you!"

 _A/N: As much sorrow as this fills me, there are only two more chapters before the epilogue left!_


	67. Chapter 67

Life without Robin was much like you would expect it to be. Emma and Regina could now go to the diner and act like the couple they were without having to look over their shoulder in case he was going to appear and cause a scene. People could also just talk about them without having to be cautious that he would create.

All in all, it was a much more peaceful atmosphere.

Four months after Robin had left, Storybrooke was a completely different place. Emma just felt so much more relaxed despite the fact that she had just hit 32 weeks pregnant. Regina had tried to put her foot down when Emma reached her third trimester, saying that she wasn't allowed to work because she didn't want the blonde to get into any occasions where she could hurt herself. Naturally, Emma had just rolled her eyes and promised to not go on patrol or even leave her desk. It took a fair bit of persuasion, including a fair amount of sexual favours, before Regina relented but Emma had to accept it a couple of weeks later when she kept complaining of back pain from the office chair and stop working, taking maternity leave a little earlier than she wanted. It was then agreed that Killian would become Sheriff as Charming couldn't sign up to the hours.

Things were still very awkward between Emma and Snow. After the whole debacle with Robin had happened, Snow had realised the error in her ways regarding the Pixie Dust and had apologised to both Emma and Regina. Both were very reluctant to accept it but eventually Emma acknowledged the apology but told her that she still didn't need her as her mother. Despite the awkwardness between Emma and Snow, Emma was actually getting on like a house on fire with her father. Sure, she still didn't call him 'Dad' or anything, but there was a special bond there.

Along with Hook and Charming, Mulan was now working fulltime at the Sheriff's station and she fit in from the beginning. She had known Killian briefly in the past and didn't really trust him, but as she got to know him, they slowly became good friends. The friendship was helped with the fact that Maleficent and Killian were extremely good friends and had hilarious banter whenever they got together. In those moments, Mulan also bonded with Lina as they watched their partners throw jokes back and forth at each other.

Within the last four months, Hook had finally asked Lina to marry him and she didn't even hesitate for a second before saying yes. He had taken her out on his newly purchased ship and had asked Ruby to play waitress and serve them for the evening. After dessert he got down on one knee and asked the love of his life to become his wife. They were planning on getting married in the next few months after Emma had given birth as Hook had joked that he didn't want a "fat best woman". Emma was torn between hitting him for the insult and crying at being indirectly asked to be his best man. She accepted almost as quickly as Lina had.

However, while Hook was captaining the Sheriff's station, Emma found herself hanging out at the library a lot more, spending more time with Belle. The quiet librarian had revealed to Emma a few weeks prior that she was also pregnant with her and Rumple's first child, but she didn't want to shout out about it just yet as she wasn't that far along. Emma was thrilled for her friend but also couldn't help the chuckle when she realised that Henry would be getting yet another uncle, or aunt, who was younger than him.

During the last few months, Alexandra had also turned four. Somehow, call it fate, the months had aligned when Emma came back. It had been early spring when she'd left the Enchanted Forest and the same when she returned to Storybrooke which mean Ally's birthday was the same. Instead of having many people at her party, it was only Ruby, Zelena, Mal and Hook who were invited. Lina and Mulan understood as they weren't as close to the Princess. Henry had even helped Regina bake a chocolate cake which Ally had gotten all around her face but adored, nonetheless. It was also nice to have that time that focussed solely on Alexandra before the new baby came. She was aware that she was going to become an older sister, but Emma and Regina weren't fully sure how she'd react once the baby was actually born. However, they still had some time before they would find out.

Also, while she was off, Emma decided to find her feet in the kitchen. She had never been a bad cook, per say, but she'd always played things safe with simple dishes. So, one evening when she knew Regina was going to be a little late from work, she arranged for Zelena and Ruby, the latter had recently moved into the farm house officially, to look after the kids while she prepared a three-course meal for her wife.

When Regina stepped over the threshold, Emma greeted her wife in the foyer. She wasted no time in taking Regina in her arms and pulling her as close as she could for a soft kiss.

"Welcome home, honey," she murmured as she pulled back.

Regina grinned. "Hello," she replied and stole another kiss before she reached out and took Emma's hand, tangling their fingers together as the blonde led them to the kitchen. Realising how quiet the house was, Regina cocked her head to the side. "Umm, where are the kids?"

"At Zee's for the night," Emma revealed. "I wanted an evening for just us. You've been running around like a headless chicken recently with all my emotions and the kids' demands. I wanted to give you an evening where you were the focus."

"You didn't have to," Regina said with a smile, reaching out to cup Emma's cheek. "I love every minute of it."

"Then I hope you love every minute of tonight," Emma replied. She kissed Regina, their tongues tangling languidly, before the oven time started to beep, cutting them off. Emma pulled back with a serene smile on her face. "Now, go wash up, dinner is ready."

The Mayor raised her eyebrow in intrigue but followed her wife's orders. She washed her hands and walked into the dining room and couldn't help the gasp. The table had been set up for two, though she notice she had been moved from the head of the table to opposite her wife, and the room was covered in candle light, filling the room with a soft warm glow.

She took a seat in the presumed space and watched Emma walk in with two plates.

"I can manage the starter, but you'll have to help with the mains," she murmured as she placed them down. "A goat's cheese and caramelised onion flatbread," she announced looking very impressed with herself as she sat down.

"This looks great!" Regina complimented. She took a sip of her water that had already been placed on the table before digging in. She'd barely taken a bite before she moaned at the taste. "This is beautiful. Did you make it all?"

Emma nodded with a proud smile. "I made the bread from scratch. I almost flung it out the window when I was kneading it." At Regina's raised eyebrow, Emma blushed. "Well I got bored of kneading, so I started spinning it and almost lost control. Almost! But it was fine, and it turned out well?"

Regina chuckled at her wife's antics. "Indeed it has."

The two then went on to talk about Regina's day at work, which had sounded pretty stressful. The fairy nuns were wanting to run another fayre, but they didn't have the budget for everything they wanted so Regina, Mal and Blue had tried to rework everything so that they could achieve it. It had been intense to say the least as Mal and Blue still didn't get on very well.

As requested, Regina helped Emma bring in the main course of the meal. She couldn't make it in advance as she had planned on a seafood linguine, so she had Regina sort out the garlic bread while she prepped the food. As she had used all fresh ingredients, it hadn't taken long to cook up and the two were back in the dining room once more.

For dessert, Emma had indulged with a chocolate fudge cake with plenty left for Henry and Ally to have some. Needless to say, after all that food, the two were stuffed but Regina felt very content after having some of her favourites.

While their meal digested, Emma suggested they watched a film and said Regina could pick. Completely surprising the blonde, Regina chose the Beauty and the Beast. At Emma's raised eyebrow, Regina just shrugged.

"I love the music," she said before she set the movie to play.

After the film, Emma then suggested that they had a relaxing bath to finish the evening off well, which Regina agreed to immediately. The two headed upstairs and Regina insisted on running the water so that Emma didn't have to lean over as she joked she'd never get back up again.

Soon enough, Regina slipped into the bath and opened her arms and legs to allow Emma to lean to her wife's embrace. She sighed as the hot water hit her aching muscles. Automatically, Regina's hands reach up and rested softly on her wife's bump.

"I'm getting ready to be done with this pregnancy," Emma revealed.

Regina smiled in sympathy as she remembered her final few weeks while carrying Alexandra. She had been both excited to meet their daughter but terrified about what would happen.

"Not long left now though," Regina reminded her. It baffled her that they were only a month away from meeting their daughter.

"We should decide on a name," Emma murmured as she felt their baby gently kick against her mother's hand, making both of them smile.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Regina asked.

"Not really," the blonde replied. "Plus I named Alexandra, so it's your turn again."

Regina chuckled. "Is that how it's going to be, we're going to keep taking turns to name our children?"

Emma turned around in the bath rather dramatically, causing the water to almost flow over the edge. "How many do you think we're going to be having?"

The Mayor opened her mouth to respond before she closed it again. This action was repeated a few times until Emma reached forward and pinched her wife's lips together.

"Alright, Nemo, calm down," she chuckled. At Regina's clear confusion she explained, "you looked like a fish. Nemo is a fish in a movie."

The former Queen simply rolled her eyes. "I was joking," she said eventually. "I'm happy with three, if you are?"

Emma nodded before turning around, going back to resting her hands above Regina's on her bump. "I think that's enough. Actually, I've been looking into how they were conceived while I've been off and I found it. I was going to tell you later."

"Oh?" Regina hadn't actually thought too much about it. She just classed them as very happy miracles.

"Yeah, I'll show you when we get out," Emma said.

They continued to soak a little bit longer, with Regina giving Emma a lower back massage part way through, before the water started to cool rapidly.

Regina climbed out the bath first and wrapped a towel around herself before holding one up for her wife. Emma smiled gratefully and accepted the luxurious Egyptian cotton towel before she followed her wife to their bedroom.

The two perched on the bottom of their bed and Emma flicked her wrist, conjuring the book she'd been reading in the library the day before. She turned to bookmarked page and placed it in Regina's lap.

"Look," she murmured as she pointed to the right paragraph, "even two women can have a biological child together during an act of love if at least one of them is a wielder of magic."

Regina's brows furrowed in confusion. "But that could mean any time we've had sex, we could have gotten the other pregnant? I don't understand."

Emma shook her head. "No, honey, look," she pointed back to the book. "It's more than just the act of it, it's also the confession, feeling so loved at that moment." When Regina still didn't seem to understand, the blonde continued. "You got me pregnant that night because you told me you loved me when I, well for a better word, came. At that moment, we were so in sync with each other and the love was so built up, that your verbal confirmation of it all was the inception of this little princess." She rested her hand on her bump and glance up to smile at her wife. "Do you remember our first time?"

Regina raised her eyebrow at her wife. "Do you think I could forget that?" She chuckled and then gasped as it hit her. "The first time you told me you loved me? That was the night Alexandra was conceived?"

"Yeah," Emma murmured as Regina finally understood. She could see the cogs turning in Regina's head about it all and couldn't help but chuckle. "We're going to be fine as long as we refrain from professing our love when we're getting freaky."

"And the moment is ruined," Regina sighed with her signature eye roll.

"Well, let me make it up to you, my love," Emma husked as she unwrapped her towel and pulled the book out of Regina's hands. "Let me make love to you."

oOoOo

A few more weeks past and Emma had decided to call a family lunch as she missed seeing everyone regularly. It was the weekend, so Regina was home from work and Henry had no school, it was the perfect time. She still saw Ruby and Zelena regularly as they had their family dinners and Hook would also come over a couple of times a week, though that was partially to see Ally. However, Emma had wanted to have everyone over one last time before they became too busy with the new baby to see everyone en masse. Regina was a little reluctant to have so many people over when Emma was so close to her due date, she was just a day before her due date, but Emma had insisted and with those puppy dog eyes, Regina hadn't been able to refuse.

So that was how she was sitting at the head of here dinner table with even more people than before. As usual, there were the original members of Operation Phoenix, but now Lina was part of the group with her engagement to Hook, Rumple had tagged along with Belle and Mulan was with Maleficent. The additions also included Esmeralda and her family. Henry and Joel were sitting at the end of the table chatting as the two had become good friends with their mothers' friendship. Laverne and Granny were also there and while they hadn't technically announced that were dating, Laverne had admitted to Emma that she and Eugenie were "spending their final years in each other's company," whatever that meant. Either way, Granny was no longer sending longing looks to Maleficent now but still had the goofy smile that Ruby loved seeing her wear.

To finish off the group was surprisingly Aurora and Philip with baby Philip Jr. The Princess and dragon had finally sat down together and talked everything through. It took a few meetings, but Aurora finally understood why Mal acted how she had done with her and why her father was so distant. She had also given her friend and mother her approval on their relationship, not that they needed it, but it was good to know that she accepted it. It was the first time they had been included to the family meal. Emma hadn't invited them, but Mal wanted them there, so they were invited. Plus, Emma enjoyed seeing their relationship blossoming. She wished she could have the same with Snow, but it was to no avail. Despite her apology, Snow was still acting entitled and presumed Emma would allow herself to be her daughter because she apologised but Emma wasn't having any of it. The rift between them was just growing wider.

The dining room had never been so full to the point that Regina had had to magically enlarge the table and conjure new chairs. Along with the amount of people, Emma hadn't wanted Regina to have been slaving away in the kitchen, so she pulled in a few favours with Granny and Laverne to provide the food. It almost included promising to name the baby after the matriarchs, but Regina had refused but gratefully accepted the food. She did also prepare a few dips and provided some chips and wedges to go with the food Granny had provided.

It had taken a few suggestions, including just pizza or pasta dishes, but they'd finally decided on a Tex Mex feast. There was a large pan full of chilli con carne, with tortillas and a bowl of rice if anyone wanted to make burritos or just have standard chilli. There was also a couple of platters of nachos with several toppings including: chilli, pulled pork, cheese or guacamole. It was absolutely delicious.

What Emma hadn't expected however, when they finally agreed on the menu, was just how spicy the food was going to be.

"Jeez, Granny, the chilli packs a punch!" She gasped as she coughed. Regina immediately passed her a cold glass of water to help.

"Maybe it'll push my niece out sooner!" Ruby piped up, chuckling at how red Emma's face was going. It was known that the blonde couldn't really handle spice, but she had warned her friend that Granny didn't go easy on the chillies she added to the meal

Regina rolled her eyes. "It's just an old wives' tale. It's not a thing."

"We'll see!" Zelena added when she nodded to Emma who looked like she was pain.

Frantic, Regina turned to her wife and cupped her face. "Are you alright? Is she coming?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm fine," she murmured as she massaged her chest gently. "The food is just spicy and giving me a bit of indigestion."

Regina wasn't convinced as she continued to watch her wife for a few moments but accepted it. She turned back to the table and reached for some sour cream to place next to Emma's plate. The blonde smiled gratefully as she dropped some of the dip onto her plate to cool down her next bite. However, with the spice of the chilli, Emma quickly went to add some to her daughter's plate as Alexandra was perched in her high chair between her mothers as usual. The newly turned four-year-old most likely wouldn't be able to handle the spice. However, when Emma turned to do so, she saw that Ally was already digging into the food like it was mild.

"I made the kids a separate batch," Granny added with a roll of her eyes and a 'duh' expression. "I didn't realise I needed to give you the kid proof pot too."

Instead of replying, Emma simply stuck her tongue out and continued to eat the portion on her plate. However, it was now a lot more bearable with the addition of sour cream.

After a few more minutes of silence, Belle coughed quietly to get everyone's attention. She glanced to Rumple who took hold of her hand and nodded encouragingly.

"Talking about kids," she began, "Rumple and I would like to announce that we're expecting our first baby together. I'm just over twelve weeks pregnant!"

Ruby squealed at the news and rushed to hug her friend gently while the rest of them congratulated the couple. Emma smiled happily that her friend had finally revealed her pregnancy. She was finding it difficult not to tell Henry.

"So I'm getting another uncle who'll be younger than me?" Henry asked.

Rumple chuckled. "It could be an aunt."

Henry considered that for a moment before grinning. "Either way, congrats Grandpa and Belle!"

After their congratulations were over, Esmeralda spoke up after glancing at her husband and son. "Actually, Belle, you're not the only one," she murmured and everyone glanced at the former maid. "I've just hit ten weeks, but the doctor said everything is going well so I don't mind sharing it now."

Again, everyone was throwing their congratulations to the couple before Hook started to laugh and glanced at Lina who was blushing.

Slowly, she raised her hand. "Count me in too! I'm about eight weeks gone but everything is going swimmingly apparently so I don't feel too anxious about sharing the news. We may have to postpone the wedding, we're not sure yet."

Ruby then jokingly turned to Zelena. "You're not about to announce anything, are you?!"

The Witch cackled with laughter before pulling her girlfriend close and pecking her cheek. "No, Wolfie," she said affectionately.

With all of the celebrations being thrown around the table, no one was paying much attention to Emma. She had in fact lied to her wife earlier regarding the pain she was in. Yes, the food was ridiculously hot which had caused her a little bit of indigestion, but she had been feeling a tight feeling around her tummy for most part of the day. She had been ignoring it, even when the pains were coming closer together. After having Henry, she was very much aware of what was going on, but she didn't want to ruin the family get together after persuading Regina to host despite the fact that she could go into labour at any moment during the afternoon.

However, she could not deny it anymore during her friends' announcements that there were all now expecting more babies as her waters broke. She felt the liquid gush and she glanced down in shock.

Nervously she swallowed and cleared her throat. Looking up, she realised everyone in the room had quietened when she'd coughed quietly and were looking at her curiously. "I do have an announcement however." She took a deep breath. "My waters just broke."


	68. Chapter 68

There was a pause as everyone tried to wrap their head around Emma's announcement. The room turned so silent you could hear a pin drop. However, Regina was the first one to jump into action.

"It's time!" She called out to everyone before she turned back to her wife. She took hold of her hand and squeezed gently. "Are you alright?"

Emma nodded before she gasped out in pain and clutched her tummy before she started shaking her head. "Nope!"

Calmly, Regina turned to Ruby. "Get your car ready to go," she instructed. "Killian, Lina, can you stay here with Henry and Alexandra?" They nodded and Regina smiled her thanks before talking to the room. "Everyone else, please make your way out. We'll let you know when the baby is here and when you can come visit."

Everyone then started to file out, wishing Emma the best of luck as they went. Mulan and Maleficent were the last to start leaving.

"Wait!" Emma called, looking to the dragon. "Mal, come with us, please."

The dragon glanced at Mulan who simply nodded and smiled before leavening. Mal turned to her friends and saw that Emma hadn't moved. She crossed the room and didn't hesitate to help Regina get Emma out of her chair before assisting them to get Emma to the car with Zelena following at the rear with Emma's prepacked bag that had been living by the front door for the past two weeks. Emma had called it unnecessary, but Regina didn't have the heart at that moment to say, "I told you so."

"Good luck!" Henry called from the front door as the group rushed down the path. "We love you!"

Emma glanced back and smiled gratefully at her son. "Love you too!"

Despite having infrequent pain all day, now her waters had broken, it seemed to all hit Emma at once. It was difficult to breathe and she was already feeling sorry for both Regina and Maleficent as she was squeezing their hands tightly. Ruby's driving was also rather frantic as she tried to get to the hospital quickly which wasn't putting her at ease. Regina had point blank refused on magically transport there in case there were any issues.

"Jesus, Ruby!" Emma gasped as Ruby took a corner too sharply and ended up running over the curb. "You're gonna get arrested driving like this!"

A loud cackle was heard from the front. "The Sheriff is in the back of my car, who's gonna arrest me?" Ruby asked rhetorically.

Emma shot her friend a glare in the rear-view mirror, but it was cut short as she whimpered when a contraction hit. At the noise, Ruby continued to drive wildly and Regina was starting to regret not being the one to drive but in spur of the moment, she wanted to stay beside her wife for support.

Before long, Ruby was slamming onto the brakes in the car park, taking up at least two spaces, maybe even three, as the car stopped. Mal and Regina helped the blonde out of the car and into the hospital. There was a nurse waiting at the reception desk with a wheel chair ready for their arrival, surprising the group but Emma sat down gratefully.

"Belle called to warn us," she revealed and Regina sent a silent thanks to the librarian for thinking ahead. "Are you ready, Sheriff?"

Emma nodded before she cried out in pain. At the yell, the nurse started wheeling the blonde to the room while asking how long she'd been having pains for. Emma reluctantly revealed that they'd been happening on and off all day, surprising Regina. Usually the Mayor would have scolded her wife but at that moment, she couldn't find it in her. She was far too excited to meet her daughter and anxious in hopes that the labour would go as smoothly as possible.

When they finally reached the room, everyone waited outside while the blonde changed into a hospital gown. Regina stayed in to give her a hand.

"I reckon this is the first time you've undressed me that hasn't led to sexy times," Emma tried to joke before hissing in pain as she pulled off her top.

Regina chuckled as she unhooked her wife's bra for her. "Is this really the time for jokes, sweetheart?"

Emma blushed before allowing Regina to slip the gown over her arms. "Anything to distract from this pain. You remember Ally's birth, right?"

At the memory, Regina's eyes flashed as she remembered the night Alexandra was born despite it being so long ago for her. It was a whole lot of nothing followed by a whole lot of pain. She shivered.

"Exactly," Emma murmured as she went to settle on the bed.

Regina rushed forward to help her as the others returned with the midwife who was putting on a pair of latex gloves. Ruby also rushed forward to help Emma on to the bed when she saw she was struggled to heave herself up. Once she was settled, the midwife came over to check how Emma was doing.

"You're five centimetres dilated," the midwife revealed as she unsnapped her gloves. "This is your second birth, isn't it?" Emma nodded and the midwife smiled. "Are you planning on having any pain relief?" She asked as he noted down Emma's measurements on the clipboard.

"Not if I can help it," Emma replied, taking a deep breath. "I want to do it all naturally if I can."

The midwife nodded as she crossed the box on the page before she squeezed Emma's knee. "It shouldn't be much longer now," she assured her, "but I am going to step out and give you some space until it's time. If you need me for anything, no matter how minor, just ring the buzzer," she pointed to the button on the wall, "and I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Emma said and nodded so show she understood before the midwife left the room.

Regina squeezed Emma's hand. "I can't believe how quickly it's progressing," she murmured. "It took hours with Alexandra."

"Henry's labour was even quicker than this, believe it or not, ow!" Emma gasped as another contraction hit.

"I wish you'd told me what was going on though," she replied with a raised eyebrow. "I could have helped with something."

"I didn't want to panic you in case it was nothing," Emma said sheepishly making Regina chuckle. The blonde glanced up and saw Zelena had perched on a chair in the corner and was flicking through an outdated magazine. She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Zee, is this not entertaining enough for you?"

The Witch simply chuckled. "I thought it would be best to have less eyes on you."

Emma couldn't fault her logic and simply shrugged her shoulders. "What's the magazine saying? Distract me."

Once Emma said that, Zelena found the advice column in the magazine and started to read out the problems to keep Emma's mind occupied from what was going on. Telling tales from a woman being in love with her goldfish and another who was convinced her bushes in the garden were spying on her. The ludicrous tales were a welcome distraction.

Regina and Maleficent were sat beside her, each holding one of her hands and allowing her to squeeze as hard as she needed it whenever a contraction hit. Ruby was playing the waitress she was. She made sure everyone had coffee who needed it and kept supplying ice chips for Emma and mopping her brow to cool her down.

Every so often, Emma would change position on the bed or stand up and walk around the room but when the midwife came to check how Emma was doing a couple of hours later, there wasn't much of a change.

"This is frustrating!" Emma sighed as she flopped back on the bed after the midwife announced that she was now only 6 centimetres. "I just want her out now."

Regina stroked her wife's hair and pressed a kiss to her brow. "Come on, let's go for a walk and see if that can speed her up," she suggested.

The two walked along the corridors a few times, smiling to the two nurses on duty, before Emma started stopping more and more as the contractions hit stronger. Soon enough, they were making their way back to the room and Regina and Ruby were helping the blonde back onto the bed.

Regina settled behind her to give her a back massage, but Emma still wasn't able to get comfortable.

"I don't think I can do this again," Emma murmured as Ruby passed her an ice chip. "I'm good with three kids."

Regina smiled softly. "I'm definitely okay with that. I don't think I could go through it again either. God knows my body wouldn't like it after having Alexandra thirty years ago."

Emma chuckled. "I forget you're an old lady sometimes," she teased as she nudged her wife softly, flashing her a cheeky smile. The others in the room couldn't help the chuckle too except for Zelena.

"I resent that comment," Zelena huffed, crossing her arms, "as I'm her _older_ sister."

Ruby paused for a moment as she looked at her girlfriend. "Actually, that's a point, you're so old…ow!"

Emma looked up and saw that Zelena had sent a zap at her girlfriend at her comment. Before she could comment, another contraction hit.

"Fuck!" Emma cried. "Jesus, I feel like I need to push!"

"Shit!" Regina cussed before she reached out to press the buzzer to alert the midwife. "Don't push yet!"

Seconds later, the midwife rushed in, putting on her gloves as she went, before she flipped up Emma's gown and checked her. In the last hour or so, everything had progressed quickly.

"You're at ten!" She called. "It's time."

At that, Ruby and Zelena wished Emma luck before stepping out of the room, knowing that Emma wouldn't want a big audience while she went through the most intimate act she could. Mal also stood up to leave but Emma latched onto her hand.

"Stay," she requested, "please." Mal nodded before sitting back in her chair and weaving her fingers together with Emma's.

Regina settled beside her wife and held onto her hand tightly. "I love you," she murmured as she pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We're with you all the way."

"It's time to push!" The midwife announced as she braced herself at the bottom of the bed.

With a deep breath, Emma pushed for the first time. Despite having gone through this once before, it was thirteen years ago! In that moment, she had never felt so much pain in her life. She wished she'd accepted the pain relief when it was offered to her, but she wanted to feel every single part of the process. However, she couldn't concentrate on the pain, she'd never allow the birth to continue if she did. Instead, she listened to the midwife's calm voice.

"You can do this, Emma," she was saying. "Just keep breathing deeply and when the next contraction hits, I want you to push again."

"Squeeze our hands as hard as you need to, my love," Regina murmured, pressing another soft kiss to Emma's brow. She felt so helpless in that moment, finally knowing how Emma had felt when Alexandra was born.

Mal nodded at Regina's words, squeezing Emma's hand gently as if to remind her that the two of them were there. She didn't know what to say at that moment so chose to refrain instead of saying the wrong thing.

As the next contraction hit, Emma pushed as hard as she could, her face turning a deep scarlet with the effort, but it wasn't quite enough.

"You're doing so well," the midwife murmured encouragingly, "just a little harder on the next one."

Emma nodded emphatically as she tried to calm down her breathing. Regina reach other and patted her brow with a cool cloth in an attempt to calm her down before the next contraction hit.

With a low howl, Emma pushed once more, even harder than before and she felt it before the nurse announced, "I can see her head!"

Hearing that seemed to encourage Emma more. On the next contraction, she took a deep breath and squeezed her wife's and friend's hands so tightly their fingers were turning white before she pushed as hard as she could and seconds later, the midwife was laying the new born baby onto her bare chest, wiping away some of the excess blood.

The immediate skin-to-skin contact with her daughter made Emma completely emotional. As soon as she felt the baby on her chest, she burst into tears as she stared down at her daughter. She slowly released Regina and Maleficent's hands as she brought her arms up to cradle her.

The midwife glanced at her watch. "Quarter past six on the dot," she murmured as she wrote the baby's time of birth on the form.

"She's beautiful," Regina whispered, reaching up to wipe her own tears away. "I am so proud of you!" She leant forward and kissed Emma's lips gently before she pressed another kiss to the baby's forehead.

"I did it!" Emma cheered quietly. "I can't believe I actually did it."

"You did wonderfully," the midwife complimented. "I've never seen someone so calm through the labour." Emma glanced at her with her eyebrow raised and the midwife chuckled. "Yes, that was calm compared to the others I've seen."

The room was quiet for a few moments, everyone was taking the precious moment. Emma could only look at her daughter in awe. She took her breathe away.

"Henry's prediction was right," Emma murmured softly.

"Oh?" Regina reached out to stroke her daughter's cheek softly.

Emma grinned as she looked up at her wife. "She looks like you even though I gave birth to her."

Regina looked down at her daughter and she saw what Emma meant. The baby had a light dusting of dark hair and when she opened her eyes, she could see the dark chocolate irises that matched both hers and her fathers. Her heart melted knowing that her father's eyes had been passed to her daughter. Her eyes were the same shape as Emma's, however, and she had her nose, but her lips were all Regina's. Just like Alexandra, she was a combination of the two but mostly favoured one mother. Either way, she was absolutely beautiful despite being a little wrinkly.

"Do we have a name for the new Princess?" The midwife asked as she came over to take the measurements for the baby.

Regina turned to wife who smiled up and nodded. They had had a fair few discussions what her name should be, but they had finally settled on something that represented everything to them and their story. Her middle name was elegant like Alexandra's, but her first name was them.

"She's called Brooke," Regina announced happily. "Brooke Elizabeth Swan-Mills."

The midwife took the baby for a few moments to clean her up and Regina dressed her in a light pink baby grow and a little hat before she was placed back into Emma's arms. They wanted the time that Brooke was away from Emma to be as quickly as possible. Once she was back in her arms, Emma felt much better.

With the all clear, Zelena and Ruby re-entered the room and both started cooing over the new-born. Zelena even teared up, leading to Emma teasing her that she did have a heart after all. The Witch didn't even retaliate, showing just how emotional she was feeling.

When it was confirmed that everything was okay with both mother and baby, Regina made the calls to their family and friends that she had been born. She didn't, however, reveal the name over the phone. She also requested that Zelena and Ruby went to pick up Henry and Ally and bring them to the hospital because, although everything was okay with Emma and Brooke, the midwife wanted to monitor them for the next couple of hours anyway and both Emma and Regina wanted their other children to meet the new addition. So Zelena and Ruby set off and Mal when to meet them at the entrance, mainly to give the two mothers some alone time with their baby before the rest of the family came.

While they were waiting on the new arrivals, Emma turned to her wife. "Would you like to hold her?"

Tears sparked at Regina's eyes and she nodded emphatically. She hadn't wanted to ask up until now because she knew how important the moments after birth were between the mother and baby. However, she wasn't going to refuse when Emma offered.

Gently, she leant down so Emma could place the baby in her arms. At the feel of her, Regina let the tears fall. Her first thought was that Brooke was lighter than Alexandra had been and smaller, but no less beautiful.

Slowly, she perched on the bed beside her wife and saw that Emma looked exhausted. Leaning over, she placed a soft kiss on Emma's lips. The blonde smiled at the gesture.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked, despite knowing what Emma's answer was going to be, but she wanted to check in regardless.

"Exhausted," she replied as Regina predicted, "but she is so worth it. I couldn't have done any of it without you though."

"You did the first trimester without me," she murmured sadly. "I'm still so sorry about all of that."

"Hey," Emma said softly. She shifted in the bed so that she could reach out and cup Regina's cheek. "It's like I said, it had to happen, honey. Everything happens for a reason. Without any of that, we wouldn't have our children. Speaking of which…" Emma trailed off and grinned, nodding towards the door. She could already hear the tell-tale sounds of Henry and Alexandra running up the corridor accompanied by Maleficent's request to slow down which was clearly ignored.

Moments later, the door flew open and Henry and Ally ran in and towards the bed. Ruby, Zelena and Mal also entered the room, but much calmer than their niece and nephew and took a seat at the back of the room to watch the moment.

"Calm down!" Regina called and Henry blushed whereas Ally wasn't listening to her mother, she was staring at the baby.

Henry glanced at his sister and saw her hesitation. "That's our little sister," he murmured quietly to her. "Remember I said Mama was about to give us a sister?" Alexandra looked at her brother and nodded slowly but she still said nothing. "She's not scary." Henry chuckled before he turned to his mothers. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Emma said and shifted on the bed so that there was another space on the bed for him to sit.

Hesitantly, Henry made his way over. He hovered above his mother, making Emma chuckle.

"Sit down and hold your arms our like you did with your uncle," Emma instructed, slightly shifting Henry's arms to the right position before Regina turned with Brooke still in her arms.

"Ready?" She asked and Henry nodded emphatically before he calmed down. Regina placed Brooke in his arms and Henry's smile widened so much Emma was convinced it would hurt.

"Oh my god, she's so cute!" Henry gushed as soon as Brooke was placed in his arms. "God, she looks like Mom." Brooke's eyes fluttered open at that moment and took in her brother. She reached out and wrapped her tiny fist around Henry's finger and he thought his heart would melt. "What's her name?"

"She's called Brooke," Emma said. "Brooke Elizabeth Swan-Mills."

"Like Storybrooke?" Henry asked.

Emma nodded. "Well we were thinking of her name and we wanted something that embodied us. We met here and fell in love here. We wanted to represent that. As for her middle name, your mother wanted something elegant." She rolled her eyes and nudged her wife. "It was the first name we suggested for Alexandra and passed on it because it wasn't the right fit back then but this time," she smiled, "it just seemed to work and come together."

"I think it's beautiful," Ruby said, speaking for the first time. "I'm so happy for all of you."

"Thanks," Emma murmured, grinning madly. She then turned to Alexandra who was now sitting at the back on Maleficent's knee, still looking very anxious. "Hey baby girl, you going to come meet your sister?"

Ally visibly swallowed, clearly very nervous about it all. Emma saw Mal whisper something to her and Ally nodded slowly before she slipped of the dragon's knee and made her way over to the bed.

"It's okay to be nervous, sweetheart," Regina said with a soft smile. She allowed Ally to climb onto her lap.

Henry motioned to the baby who still had her eyes wide open as she now took in her big sister. Ally was still very nervous but when Brooke reached out and wrapped her tiny fist around Ally's finger, the blonde seemed to melt.

"Hi Brookey," she greeted with a nervous smile. "I'm Ally, I'm your big sister."

Emma smiled as Brooke's charm was infectious for everyone, including her stubborn but adorable four-year-old. As she took in the room, she realised that she was surrounded by her favourite women. She only needed Killian there to make it absolutely perfect, but he had the late shift at the station now that he was no longer on babysitting duty. However, that tiny slip didn't matter.

At that moment, she realised she finally had the family she'd always wanted and it felt amazing. She had three great friends in Mal, Zelena and Ruby who she loved as if they were sisters. Then she saw her son, who she once thought she'd never see again, holding her new-born daughter while her other daughter was gazing at her in complete awe, the nerves now gone as she took in her new sister.

To top it all off, she had her wife. Looking up, she saw that Regina was staring back at her and her heart filled with even more love than she thought was possible. Yes, this moment for Emma Swan-Mills was the epitome of happiness and love and she wouldn't have it any other way.

 _A/N: To top off the final chapter before the epilogue, along with Emma giving birth to Brooke, my sister has just given birth to my first niece. Welcome to the world, Eadie! The final chapter will be up on Friday, keep tuned and as always, I love you all for the reviews and favourites. You are the inspiration!_


	69. Chapter 69

_5 years later_

"Henry, hurry up," Emma shouted up the stairs, breaking one of Regina's main house rules; no shouting. Fortunately, she was currently out dropping the girls off at their Aunties' house for the day so that she didn't witness it.

"I'm coming!" Henry called back as he ran down the stairs. "I was putting the storybooks in Brooke's room."

Emma smiled as she took in her now eighteen-year-old son. She couldn't get over how much he looked like Neal now he was older. He'd let his hair grow out a little at the top but kept the back and sides shorter. However, his eyes were still all Emma, a feature he shared with Alexandra.

"I can't believe that you're leaving for college," Emma murmured with a sad smile. "It barely feels like five minutes since you brought me to Storybrooke."

Henry chuckled. "Well my two little sisters beg to differ."

At her son's joke, Emma was able to keep the tears at bay. She reached out and lightly punched her son on the arm.

"I leave for twenty minutes and come back to watch my wife beat up my son?" Regina chastised as she walked through the front door.

Emma and Henry span on their heels to face the door, both worried that Regina truly was angry. Regina was standing with on hand on her hip and her eyebrow raised. However, Emma could see the slight quiver in her upper lip and knew she was joking.

Smirking, Emma crossed the room and looped her arms around her wife's waist. "You left us unattended, not my fault," she joked before leaning forward and stealing a kiss.

"At least with going to college I can get away from watching my mothers make out all the time," Henry sassed, wearing a smirk that normally made both his mothers proud, but at that moment, his comment outweighed their pride.

Regina pulled back from Emma and crossed her arms, frowning. "Is that how you really feel?"

Henry sighed and walked towards his mothers' hands before taking their hands in his. "I'm going to miss you both every day while I'm away," he revealed. "I'm terrified about leaving and I'm sad that I'm going. I love the fact the two of you are so happy together. The last five years having the two of you in the same house has been everything I always wanted. I have two parents who love me and I've wanted for nothing my entire life. I have two amazing little sisters who are feisty, hilarious and adorable. Not to mention talented with their magic, Ally packed half my room!"

At that, both Emma and Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. They had wondered how their son had packed so quickly after days of nonstop nagging.

"You're not meant to have your sister do your work, Henry," Regina reprimanded with a light laugh and a shake of her head. "She's only eight."

Henry held up his hands. "She offered!"

Emma chuckled before she glanced at her watch. "Before you two get any further into this, we'd better get going. We have a two-and-a-half-hour journey to get there, plus unloading before we come back."

Regina nodded and smiled. "I can't believe you're going to Harvard!"

Emma beamed with pride. She was ecstatic that her son was going to her alma mater. Regina had wanted him to choose a college that felt right to him and said that they would visit any and all of them, no matter how far away they were. Her only request was that he stayed in America after he started looking at Cambridge and Oxford. She hadn't wanted the time difference between England and America to interfere with their limited communication.

Henry knew he wanted to major in comparative literature from the beginning. Once that was decided, Henry narrowed down his choices to Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Harvard and Princeton. However, he soon revealed the latter was because he wanted to say that he was a Prince and attended Princeton, so it was quickly crossed off his list.

As promised, Regina and Emma took their son to visit each university. They took Ally and Brooke with them to both Stanford and Columbia so that they could enjoy some family time. However, with Yale and Harvard, they had driven down early the day before and stayed in a hotel before touring the university the next day and driving home. The girls had simply stayed with their Aunties over the two weekends.

However, when they had visited Harvard, which was the final university visit, they had barely been on campus more than ten minutes when Henry turned to his mothers and said, "this is the one."

Emma had immediately burst into tears with joy. While they were there, they bumped into a couple of Emma's old professors, including her supervisor for her master's degree who jokingly asked if she was ready to do her PhD yet, but Emma had declined saying she was done with education and wanted to concentrate on her family. The professor had been a little disappointed, saying she was wasting her talents, but understood eventually.

After Henry had decided his university, he just had to get accepted, but it was easily done. He had inherited Emma's intelligence and picked up Regina's talents. It was inevitable that he would be accepted but it didn't stop both his mothers tearing up when he told them.

Now he was heading off. Emma had, magically, packed both her car and Henry's newly purchased car. Regina had bought him a second-hand VW Golf for his eighteenth birthday so that he could get around if he needed it and, Emma had a sneaky suspicion this was the main reason, he could come home whenever he needed to.

The family headed to their cars. Regina was driving. Despite being married to Emma for the past five years, she still didn't want her driving her precious Mercedes, even when Emma surprised her with a brand-new Mercedes-Benz C class for their fifth anniversary. However, Regina still didn't allow it. Once they settled in their car, Henry got into his Golf and they set off.

While Regina drove, Emma couldn't help but think over everything that had happened over the past five years.

There were many new children running around Storybrooke. Belle had given birth first to a little boy who she named Gideon after the lead in her favourite book. Rumple and Belle were absolutely smitten with their little boy but had decided that one was enough.

Killian and Lina had gotten married a couple of months after Brooke had been born. They had been tempted to delay the wedding so that Lina didn't have a bump during the ceremony but then she changed her mind because she wanted to get married before the baby was born. The ceremony had been held on Killian's new boat which he'd named the Lady Lina Alexandra after his bride and God Daughter. A few months after the ceremony, Lina gave birth to a little girl who they named Alice Evelyn after their mothers. Alice and Brooke were the best of friends which Emma and Killian loved. A year ago, Killian and Lina extended their family once more and had a little boy named Liam Oscar in honour of their brothers.

Esmeralda ended up surprising everyone when she announced that she and Kevin were expecting twins. A month early, Esmeralda went into labour but gave birth to two healthy little boys named Curtis and Mason. Despite wanting to have a little girl too, Esmeralda had drawn the line after the twins as they were exhausting, putting her off having any more.

A couple who weren't having children any time soon were Maleficent and Mulan. The two had moved in together after being in a relationship for well over a year and a year later, Mulan got down on one knee and asked the dragon to marry her. They had a late spring wedding a year after that with Brooke and Alexandra as the flower girls and Philip Jr as the ring bearer.

As the years went on, Aurora and Maleficent grew closer to the point that they went to dinner at each other's house alternate weeks and Mal looked after Philip Jr after school on her days off. Aurora had even had another child and honoured her mother and best friend by naming her Malin. She was just about to turn one and was the spitting image of Aurora.

Along similar lines as Maleficent and Mulan, Ruby and Zelena had also gotten married in the last two years. It had taken them three years to reach that point as they were both waiting for the other to propose until they both gave up and decided to ask the other. It just happened to be on the same night with Ruby getting down on her knee just before dessert which made Zelena burst out laughing as she had planned to ask Ruby after dessert. Needless to say, they both screamed yes before the question was even asked. Both Emma and Regina had asked them when babies were going to be on the agenda, but both had said not any time soon. They wanted to enjoy married life together for a little longer before kids came along.

Despite the relationships and children boom, there had been a few dramas along the way. Snow had well and truly lost her relationship with Emma. As a gesture of good will and an attempt to put the past behind them, Regina allowed Emma to let Snow and Charming look after the kids when Brooke had turned four months. They gave strict instruction that they weren't using the mollycoddle method with Brooke and only to see to her if she didn't stop cry for long periods of time. However, Henry soon contacted his mothers, apologising profusely, that Snow wouldn't put Brooke down because she kept crying with being with someone unfamiliar. Emma and Regina had gone over straight away and told Snow that that was the last straw and she'd never be able to see the girls again, but they couldn't make the decision for Henry who was old enough to decide for himself. He'd decided to limit his interaction with his grandmother but not completely.

More monsters and other Disney characters had turned up to Storybrooke including the Frozen characters. Elsa appeared one afternoon and froze the entire town as she searched for her sister. Emma and Mulan were on duty when it happened and the deputy had called Regina to come help defeat the huge, terrifying snowman that turned up too. The wives were a force to be reckoned with and managed to destroy the snowman without any of the town getting hurt. They were able to find Elsa's sister and her fiancé in time and with Rumple's help, they managed to find their way back to Arendelle.

Cruella Devil and Ursula also made an appearance. Everyone was a little apprehensive about their arrival but Mal and Regina had given the all clear when they said they were there for a new start, not to get revenge on Snow and Charming who had defeated them in the past. Plus, it was satisfying for Regina to see Snow flinch whenever she saw the two walking down the street.

The next villain in the story was the Black Fairy, or Fiona as she was known in another life. Rumple dropped the bomb when he referred to her as mother. It had taken a while, but they managed to defeat her with the help of another Saviour who went by the name of Aladdin. Emma had struggled not to roll her eyes at who he was, but she was very glad that there was another Saviour out there, even if he was second best to her. Regina's words.

The final development was with Henry. Emma and Regina were worried when Brooke's magic started showing on top of Alexandra's, thinking Henry might get jealous. However, that was when the Sorcerer's Apprentice turned up saying he was looking for a new author because the old one wasn't doing his job properly. His first and only choice was Henry. With his author's powers, he wasn't left out with the magical household. However, like his sisters, he had rules. Though with his degree choice, he was become an author in more than one way.

Now that he was leaving, he'd been allowed by the Apprentice to take his quill and ink with him but to not use it as it wouldn't work in the same way as it did in Storybrooke. With it being in Boston with him, it wouldn't be taken or used by the wrong hands back home. Though with everyone in the family enhanced with some form of magical powers, they were a force to be reckoned with.

"You've been quiet the entire journey," Regina murmured, glancing over to her wife.

Emma blinked and saw the sign saying that they only another fifty miles to go, meaning that they were well over half way there.

"Sorry," Emma replied. "I've just been thinking about the past few years."

Regina reached out and squeezed her wife's hand. "I know, it's been crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Emma grinned. "Most definitely."

For the rest of the journey, she made sure to keep herself in the moment and chatted with her wife, trying to avoid the topic that their son was moving to college. Every now and then, they would check on Henry behind them as Regina had made him promise that he wouldn't drive too quickly and overtake them.

Before long, they were pulling up into the carpark along with all the other new students and parents. A helper came over to take Henry's name and give Henry the keys to his dorm.

"Ugh, I wish magic worked out here," Emma groaned as she climbed up the two-storey staircase to Henry's dorm for the second time.

As they entered the room this time, Henry's new roommate had arrived. He was unpacking his suitcase into his draws while his mother made his bed.

"Oh hey, you must be my new roomie!" The roommate said as he turned and saw Henry arrive.

"Hey, yeah, I'm Henry Swan-Mills," Henry greeted as he held out his hand.

"I'm Brett Mahony," the roommate replied, slapping Henry's hand and bumping shoulders as standard for two men meeting. Brett then gestured to his mother who had stood up from the bed. She was wearing a tailored suit jacket and pencil skirt. "This is my mom, Joan."

Henry nodded to his mothers. "This is my mom, Regina and my ma, Emma."

The three Swan-Mills' all hesitated at the reveal, waiting for Brett and his mother's reaction but fortunately, they both grinned.

"It's lovely to meet you," Joan greeted with a smile. "My brother is gay and just had a little girl with his husband."

Emma breathed a sigh of release that she didn't know she was holding. "That's great to hear!" She turned to her wife and son. "Right, Hen, you start unpacking and your mom and I will get your last few things."

Henry nodded and pulled his suitcase onto his bed while Emma and Regina went back to the car. Instead of grabbing Henry's next suite case, Emma leant against the car.

"That could have gone a lot worse," Emma sighed. "Thank god they're liberal."

Regina took hold of her wife's hand. "Yeah, but we're the Swan-Mills', we can do anything we put our minds to."

Emma grinned and leant into her wife, kissing her sweetly. As always, the two lost themselves in the kiss until they heard someone wolf whistle. Regretfully, they pulled back, both blushing profusely.

"Let's get the cars unpacked," Emma murmured and Regina nodded.

After a few more trips, all of Henry's belongings were finally in his room and he'd unpacked everything he could on that first day. There was nothing more Emma and Regina could do to help him, meaning that the time they had all been avoiding had come. Brett and his mother were still unpacking the car so were out of the room at that moment.

Henry wasted no time in pulling his mothers close for a hug. "I'll miss you both so much," he murmured sadly.

"We're only a phone call away, Kid," Emma replied as she ruffled his hair, "and if you need to, you can just drive home."

"I know, but it's not the same," Henry sighed. "I'm going to miss Ally and Brookey too."

Regina reached out and stroked her son's cheek. "They'll miss you too but there's skype and you'll be home in a few weeks for Alexandra's birthday."

At that, Henry grinned. Ally had made him promise, at least a dozen times, that he would be back for her ninth birthday and Henry told her he wouldn't miss it for anything in the world, even if it meant he had to miss some classes. Regina had raised her eyebrow but said nothing.

"Be good and keep up to date with your work," Emma said. "And don't sit at the back of the lecture hall, you'll be tempted to sleep."

Regina turned to her wife, her eyebrow perfectly raised. "Something you did?"

Emma chuckled and nodded. "I learnt my lesson after my professor poured water over me."

Unable to help himself, Henry burst out laughing and the sad moment was lightened. He took a deep breath. "You had better get off before it gets too late to get the girls. Tell them I love them."

"We will," Regina promised. "We love you, our little prince."

Despite the old nickname that Henry tried to avoid these days, he couldn't help the smile. "I love you too, Moms, so much." He pulled them in for a final hug before Emma and Regina finally left his dorm with heavy hearts.

Once they reached the car, they both gave each other a watery smile before Regina put the car in gear and set off. On their way home, Emma played DJ and put on classic 80s rock ballads for the two to sing along to, trying to keep their minds off what was happening and before they knew it, they were pulling up outside the familiar farmhouse.

Zelena and Ruby met them at the door, Brooke was on her redhead auntie's hip and Zelena led Regina in to the living room, where Alexandra was watching TV, apparently desperate to tell her something. Ruby rolled her eyes and led Emma into the kitchen for a cup of tea after her long drive.

"Thank you for looking after the girls today," Emma murmured after she accepted a mug full of tea. "You're the best."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby replied. She shifted slightly from where she was stood, sipping her own tea. "Besides, I guess it's practise?"

Throwing the penny in the air, Ruby waited for it to drop and for Emma to click what she just said. Barely a second had passed when the blonde gasped. "Oh my god, are you pregnant?"

Ruby beamed and blushed before nodding slowly. "Yeah, we found out a couple of weeks ago but wanted to keep it quiet until I hit twelve weeks which was yesterday."

"Congratulations!" Emma cried as she pulled the brunette in for a hug. As she pulled back, her brow furrowed. "Not to be rude, but how?"

The wolf chuckled as she sipped her tea. "The same way that Brooke and Alexandra were conceived actually. We were talking a couple of months ago after looking after the girls and we realised that it was time, so we looked into it. It didn't take Zee long to find out that two women could have children if one was a sorceress and Zee is. I don't need to go into detail, but we tried it one night and a few weeks later, my period was late, so we decided to take a test and was positive."

"I am so happy for you!" Emma congratulated.

"Thanks," Ruby replied, still beaming nervously. "We're super happy."

"That we are," Zelena added as she entered the room, now without Brooke. "But aside from that, did Henry get settled in alright?"

Emma smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah and his roommate, Brett, seems cool. I'm sure he's going to be great," Emma said with a sad sigh. "I'm gonna miss him so much, but he's going to be a superstar."

"He gets that from his mother," Regina grinned as she walked towards her wife, wrapping her arm around her wife before she turned to her sister and sister in law. "Congratulations to you both," Zelena had told Regina in the living room, "I can't wait to meet them already."

The Lucas' grinned happily, glancing lovingly at each other when Zelena wrapped her arm around her wife and brought her hand up to Ruby's tummy and caress it gently. It had been an easy decision to keep Ruby's surname as Zelena didn't really have a surname to keep.

The family headed into the living room with the girls to watch a movie before it was time for the Swan-Mill's to go home. Walking into the house, Ally turned to her mothers.

"Can we play outside for a bit?" She asked. "It's not dark yet."

"Sure," Emma replied and nodded to the back door.

"Yay!" Ally squealed before she pulled on Brooke's hand. "Come on, Brookey!"

Brooke ran after her. "Slow down, Ally!"

The two mothers chuckled at their daughters' antics. They were both the perfect mixture of their mothers, Alexandra still looked like Emma but acted like Regina and Brooke was the completely opposite. They were absolutely adorable together and they were glad that they got on so well but were a little apprehensive for when Alexandra became a teenager, but they still had a few years before that happened.

"God, I love my life," Emma murmured and she pulled Regina close to her. "I have the best kids and the most amazing wife." She met Regina half way as she leant in for a kiss. "If someone had once said to me that I'd fall into a portal and fall in love with the Evil Queen from Snow White, I'd have booked them into the nut house ASAP but," she shook her head with a light laugh, "that's how it turned out, though you've never been the Evil Queen."

Regina smiled softly and pulled her wife in for another soft kiss. "I'm very glad you fell into that portal," she replied as she pulled back. "I guess all's well that ends well, right?"

"End?" Emma repeated, her brows furrowed in confusion. She glanced behind her and saw Alexandra and Brooke chasing each other around the garden. "It's not the end, my love." She pulled Regina even closer and stole another slightly longer kiss. "It's just the beginning of a new chapter."

 _A/N: I cannot believe it's over! I have loved every minute of writing this story and I'm so gutted that it's over. Thank you sooooo much MsAllySomereva for all your ideas and help with this story, I couldn't have done it without you and looking forward to working on the next one with you!_

 _Finally, I cannot thank everyone enough for favouriting, following and review this story, it all means so much to me! Keep your eyes peeled for another story that will be coming in the next few weeks. Love, Emss xx_


End file.
